Naruto: A Deceitful God
by The Omnipresent Sage
Summary: The path of truth and honesty won friends and plaudits, but It did not change world. Hashirama's kindness didn't change the worl, it didn't materialize his dream: For his dream to materialize, Naruto decided to take the path lies, blood and villainous actions not just as a shinobi, but as a god amongst Shinobi. Rinnegan Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Hokage Office**

Tsunade smiled happily as Jiraiya announced his return to Konoha by bursting through the window of her office. She allowed the fact that she had been taking an unplanned nap to slip by as she was finally able to see her former teammate after three long years. Since disappearing with Naruto for the training trip, the man never sat foot in the village and his messages were a few. She only got a letter after six months and it really contained nothing but that they were still alive.

"It is okay to say you miss me, hime. I can see it in your face that you're all excited." Jiraiya said with a grin. "No one is watching and I will keep it just between us…"

Tsunade couldn't help but smile. Man, she had missed her former teammate. The Godaime Hokage shook her head before responding with a mask on her face. "As if I would miss a pervert like you."

"You're brutal, hime," Jiraiya said with a hurt look on his face. "And I thought of running back to you with sake from the land of toads just so we could talk about old days and of course how much you have missed me…"

"You brought sake from the land of toads?" Tsunade nearly jumped out of her chair at the thought. She had never tasted anything better than the sake from that land. There was nothing that rivalled it. Kumo had some great imports but they still could not just reach the taste of the sake from the land of the toads. It was something special.

"Yeah," Jiraiya said with a wide grin. "It was given to Naruto, but he didn't take much of it so I took it all for myself… we can drink it later…"

"Why later?" Tsunade asked. She was ready now. She only stopped of demanding that the sage lead her somewhere they could drink in peace when she thought of the that loudmouthed brat. "Where is he anyway? I thought he'd be with you?"

The mood changed slightly. "He said he would join me, but he is in the village. I guess he is at the ramen stand – said he had missed it dearly more than anything," the Toad sage said with a shake of his head. "Hime," the man said in a serious tone. "Naruto isn't the same anymore."

Judging by the tone, she could guess as much, but what? He hadn't looked like someone who was capable of making a change that would get Jiraiya all that serious. He still had to be the Naruto she knew and loved, right? Tsunade shook her head. It was just a feeling, but she was sure that there was nothing really that could make her worry.

"Don't scare me like that, Jiraiya…" Tsunade said even though the man had yet to say anything. it was just that the tone of his voice was something that made one fear for the worst, even if it was Uzumaki Naruto they were talking about.

"A year and half ago, I thought it was best to teach Naruto how to use the Kyubi's chakra with the Akatsuki in mind," Jiraiya started as he took off his upper clothes, revealing a nasty wound on his chest. "I assume that it took deep emotions for Naruto to tap into that power so I loosened the seal and got him mad. This is what happened. I nearly died, hime. It is some miracle that I survived, but it took me about five weeks to recover since we had no trusted medic to do the critical work.

"Naruto said he was conscious when it all happened. He saw himself pummelling me down to death. If it wasn't because I managed to surpress the chakra, he would have ripped me apart. He blamed himself for it. even though I tried to talk him out of it, he didn't listen. But it didn't bring him down, it seemed to make him a lot more determined to control the power and dedicated to becoming powerful or so I thought."

Tsunade frowned. "How bad could it be?"

"Naruto didn't have a lot of people around him when he grew up, hime. It might not be for a long time, but we have grown close and I know he sees me as family and he nearly killed that family he has. I guess I'm to blame because I'd taken on myself to teach him about life and everything else. Aside from that, these three years were not a waste."

"He can't have changed that much just because of that Jiraiya," Tsunade said in a firm tone. She didn't want to believe what her former teammate was telling her. This was Uzumaki Naruto they were talking about. His friend had stabbed him in the chest and yet he still didn't resent him. if that wasn't enough to change him, then, what could have?

"You must be thinking that this is Naruto, the naïve loud mouthed brat you once knew," the toad sage said, "But it is exactly that Naruto that you must be worried. Take the abuse he has suffered in the hands of the villagers, being lonely, being nearly killed by his best friend and someone he saw as a brother. And then he came close to killing me. We must be the ones naïve to think that even after all the experiences Naruto has had he could not change."

Tsunade retreated to her thoughts. Certainly, any normal person would not be the same after all the experiences. The core of their being might not change, but there would still be something different about them. it would be a lie to say that the amount of experiences either her or Jiraiya have accumulated have not influenced them.

Wasn't she the one who fled this village and went on a gambling spree because of her pain. Naruto had also suffered, but after everything, he was still there, smiling as always. She had returned to this village because of him, to think that person would be no more scared her.

Before the Godaime Hokage could offer a response to Jiraiya, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Tsunade said.

Naruto entered; even though Jiraiya said he changed, seeing the orange in him made Tsunade forget about everything, she was just happy that he was there, before her, still alive and well. That was all she could ask for at this moment.

"Since when did you learn to knock?"

Naruto smiled, "Well, I just thought I surprise you, baa-chan. You always complained about just bursting through the door and if Jiraiya-sensei wasn't here, you were likely going to be napping…" the blond said calmly.

Tsunade heard him call her 'baa-chan' but she didn't miss the fact that he called Jiraiya with respect. It wasn't anything the man deserved. The blonde Hokage studied the blond for a few moments; he was just standing in front of her desk, smiling, blue eyes staring back into hers, nothing hidden in them, but nothing visible.

The woman shook her head – she had actually been napping when Jiraiya got here. "It is good to see you again though," the Godaime said with a large smile. "You have certainly grown… well I guess you made up for the growth you missed in your younger days."

Naruto smiled. Yes, those bitter days ramen was the only affordable food, the only food he could eat. The col-hearted villagers could not allow him to eat anything else. It wasn't to say that ramen was food for pigs or demons as they despicably called him – ramen was good, deliciously good.

But he had come to understand that it wasn't healthy eating just ramen only. There needed to be a mixture of other foods that had other nutrients… back then, he had just been happy with getting his gut filled up. There were no complains, as long as he enjoyed his ramen and he slept with a full stomach, he could still smile and pretend as if everything was all right.

It was much better than the crappy food and sometimes cold water as supper in the torment hell known was the orphanage.

If he had been allowed to buy other food, how would he have managed it? The Sandaime didn't give him enough allowance to be carefree with what he bought. He could only afford so much. But considering what he held inside of him, the old man could have been a little 'generous' with what he gave him.

"The pervert by the window…"

"Hey," Jiraiya interrupted Naruto before he could finish speaking. "I was feeling happy when you actually called me Jiraiya-sensei…"

Naruto just continued as if he hadn't heard the man but had merely taken a pause to gather his breath. "…thought it would be better if we ate all types of food with the needed nutrients. I was busy training, so my body had to be healthy to be able to keep up with everything that I was learning. More strain to the body requires more energy to be burned. We consider chakra to be essential, but chakra doesn't keep the joints, muscles healthy."

Tsunade blinked and stared at Naruto as if he had grown a second head. She was dreaming right? Naruto couldn't speak like that. He was a carefree person who hated studying, a naïve idiot who was as stupid as one could be.

The Godaime looked at Jiraiya, "What did you do, pervert?"

"I just trained him," Jiraiya said. "Naruto ignored most of his studies when at the academy. There was a lot that he didn't know and with the use of clones, it would've been a waste and a deliberate attempt from my part to stop him from growing. I got all the materials that Naruto needed to learn, and told him the secret of shadow clones that he had been too stupid to figure out even though he used them every day…" the Sannin took a shot at Naruto.

"I take offense in that, sensei," Naruto said with a look on his face. "Well, I have to admit, it is remarkable that I was never able to notice that I received the memories of my clones each time I used them. then again, I still say that it was because I always summoned hundreds at a time that I was never able to notice."

"Lame excuse," Jiraiya snorted. "When practising your Rasengan, you were not using hundreds…"

"You mean the Rasengan I mastered far faster than you did?" Naruto asked with an all too nice smile. "Should I go on about senjutsu as well?"

"Hold on a moment," Tsunade stopped the couples quarrel. "What about senjutsu?"

"The Toads taught it to him," Jiraiya said, his lips frowning by the second. "And he managed to master it… unlike me…"

Tsunade looked at Naruto – who had a foxy smile on his face, eyes closed and then at Jiraiya – who was frowning. The two had certainly developed a good relationship. "What is it that you taught him that I should know?" She thought it was it was too soon for Naruto to be taught something like that though, but she wasn't going to raise that now with Naruto still in the room, she was going to wait until he leaves and then glare at Jiraiya.

"Nothing much," Jiraiya said with knowing grin and a careless shrug of his shoulders. "I took things seriously. We were not going out there to have fun… we did have lots of fun, though, didn't we?"

Naruto nodded, "yes we did… it wouldn't be so bad if we go out again, sensei. But this time, you will be paying for everything, as you will be paying my rent until I get to do missions…"

"Hey, why do I have to pay for your rent?"

"Because, erro-sennin," Naruto said in a deliberately slow tone. "You took all my life savings and spent it all on women and alcohol."

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade shouted.

The Sannin raised his hands defensively. "He had no use for it… at that time… I was paying for our meals and motels, his clothes and weaponry…"

Naruto scoffed, "Since when did we start calling a self-made tent under a tree a motel? I didn't even know we were paying for the food we hunted ourselves. As far as I remember, I bought my clothes and weapons I was using by doing some odd jobs in the villages we visited while you went drinking… and I had to play that fun game of trying to locate a perverted old geezer in a sea of perverted old geezers."

"Jiraiya," Tsunade said in a hardened tone. "You and I need to talk about your 'parenting' skills…"

There was a threat in those words, it was not spoken, but Jiraiya's sweating said it all.

Naruto laughed seeing how scared Jiraiya seemed. "Don't beat up the old man, baa-chan. You might end finishing him off… he received a lot of beatings from angry women during our time… sometimes I almost pitied him, but it was just fun watching him crawl and beg unforgiving women who feel wronged," Naruto said with a smile. "Besides that, I enjoyed myself and was happy. Camping out at night while we talked, creating traps for animals and sometimes getting caught in our own traps… it was fun, much fun than I had in my life. Those memories, I will forever cherish."

"I don't think hanging upside down a tree with a wooden spikes glaring at you is any fun…" it wasn't especially when you were the one hanging, instead of an animal. Worse, when your so-called hunting partner didn't come out to help you out when you called for help.

"Serves you right," Tsunade said to Jiraiya before turning to Naruto. "I'm glad that you managed to have fun though…" a warm smile graced her lips as she spoke.

"Everything seems to be in order," Naruto said. "If there is nothing more, I will take my leave… baa-chan…" he did a mocking bow and before disappearing in small gusts of winds.

"What is it that you did to him, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked once Naruto left – her tone was hardened. "He doesn't look as innocent as he had been before he left the village. Back then, he was someone who could still say he would bring back Sasuke to the village even though the Uchiha nearly killed him – would have, had it not been for the Kyubi."

Jiraiya was silent for a few moments. He would not have taken things far if the situation didn't require it, but because this was Naruto, he had to give it his all. He could not go any other way with Naruto's training and it worked because Naruto was willing to admit that he was weak, and needed to become stronger.

He wasn't always going to be there for him; it was a reality that they had to face and accept. He didn't want to give Naruto false hope; it would be a blatant lie to say he would 'always' be there for him for protection. He could not, he was a just a mere mortal with limits. The least he could do was to give Naruto the tools he needed to protect himself.

This was the unpredictable world of Shinobi. There was hope, but he could not say he would be alive to be there tomorrow. Hope was fundamental to all humans, without it, they would live a lost life. but just because it was fundamental didn't mean that it was all right to give people false hope.

What would happen if he promised to be there always and could not make it?

"Naruto has been through a lot; I learned about his life in the orphanage, being forced to live on his own at a tender age. He had to worry about what he was going to eat every night while other children go home every day, knowing that their parents have prepared something. Naruto did not have that.

"As much as I tried to get him to experience everything about life, I didn't take away his independence. I wanted him to continue standing on his own, but with the knowledge that if he was falling, he had friends who could pick him up.

"My experiences, knowledge, I shared with him. Everything I know about this world, and my wishes, I shared with him because I wanted him to open his eyes and understand the world he was living in. Keeping him ignorant would not have done any good. I taught him what was necessary, not only for his own survival, but for his happiness as well."

"But teaching him senjutsu… isn't that taking it too far? Naruto is still just a brat, Jiraiya!"

"A brat who has been living on his own since he was six! Six years old, hime! You don't know what that feels like. He didn't have anyone, no one! Not a single friend, no parents, just alone in rundown apartment and surrounded by people who would celebrate his death!" Jiraiya shouted a bit angrily. "Naruto suffered, I don't want him to suffer anymore. Besides, since when do I teach senjutsu? You know that I can't do that, the toads make that decision. If they felt he was ready, then he was ready. I have no say in it, and truthfully, I wasn't complaining when they took him away.

"Senjutsu will protect Naruto against the Akatsuki. They are not going to wait until he grows up before trying to take him, they have already tried that and it was only because I was there to stop them that they failed. Will you, hime, be there the next time they appear?"

When was the last time Jiraiya shouted at her angrily? He almost never did. Never. But he was shouting, glaring at her, daring her to come up with a rational retort to his reasons. Tsunade could not find any. The only word that came to mind as a 'but' nothing less, nothing more.

The fact that she could not find a flaw in his reasons silenced her.

"Sorry I shouted," Jiraiya said with an awkward smile. "I may be a little mad at myself for allowing him to suffer alone. My 'parenting' skills are bad, but at least, he would not have suffered alone if I had taken him. I can't change what happened, but I can at least make sure that his future isn't one that is filled with regrets and pain."

"You should be," Tsunade said in a quiet tone. "But maybe I should be the one who is apologizing. I never realized that Naruto grew long ago… perhaps it was innocence and naivety that made me think that…" the blonde Hokage shook her head. "This talk has made me slightly sad just thinking about it. It makes what Sasuke did even unforgivable." Tsunade looked up at Jiraiya as she stood up. "What do you say for a drink?"

"In about an hour or so," Jiraiya said.

Tsunade blinked; that has never happened, never ever. When she said a drink, Jiraiya always jumped. The Godaime Hokage was so surprised that she sat down just to think it over.

Jiraiya grinned, "Just kidding," he said.

Tsunade glared, "You know, never mind. I have a lot of work to do, and with Naruto back, I'm sure my workload is just going to increase," the blonde said.

"Oh, come on, hime!" Jiraiya begged.

Tsunade smiled; yes, she preferred it this way. Not that she just enjoyed seeing Jiraiya begging. It was just something normal. She needed to see the normal so that she could reign down her fears that things were changing.

 **Later that Day  
**

Naruto was sitting in the dark; inside his apartment, in the small kitchen. The only thing that was visible were his eyes. It has always been like this, he had friends during day, but at the end of the day, he would be back here and the cold walls would remind him of how lonely he was, how much he needed someone in his life to take that loneliness away.

The emptiness; he had forgotten that with Jiraiya by him. there was never moment that made him feel lonely when the Sannin was with him. Back then, he had always retreated back to this bitter cage of loneliness alone, and just imagine; how beautiful others were living with their parents.

The voices of parents calling their children to take a bath, brush their teeth before going to bed, they rung inside his head those days as he tried to imagine having his own parents. The imaginations hadn't comforted him; they had must compounded on the misery. The thoughts were beautiful yet bitter. It was nice, but he could not touch it, he could not experience it because he had no parents of his own.

Iruka had changed all that, perhaps because he could understand parts of him. The man had become really close to him.

Naruto had thought he had grown out of his loneliness, but here he was, alone, just the cold walls glaring at him. there was no one to talk to. He could summon a clone and have a conversation with it, but that would get some people to send him toward a psychological evaluation if it was discovered. There was nothing worse than being suspected of having lost one's mind.

The lights suddenly flicked on, but Naruto did not move an inch. Jiraiya walked towards the blond, he was still able to walk just fine, but he smelled of alcohol. "What are you doing in the dark like this?" The Sannin demanded.

It was the kind of thing that would make people worry. Jiraiya didn't want that, he wanted Naruto to enjoy his life. No one who switched off the lights and just sat down, unblinking was having good thoughts. It was in the dark, with no one, obviously, there was a war occurring in the head.

"I was thinking," Naruto responded calmly.

"About?" Jiraiya asked calmly. "You know, people have been looking for you ever since it was known that you returned, but no one saw you. It appeared as if you'd vanished into thin air; that kind of thing gets people concerned. I was concerned…"

Naruto shook his head. "I know people were looking for me," he said. "I was observing things around the village. I just realize that I had a fragile heart despite having taken in so much that made me appear to have a strong willed heart; I was afraid allowing my friends to know that I am a Jinchuriki because I thought if they knew, they would leave me alone."

Jiraiya didn't sit down, even though this was a serious matter. "I would say you were just afraid of losing friends…"

Naruto nodded, "Yes, I was, but as I was thinking today, I thought 'it doesn't matter anymore' I am the JInchiriki of the Kyubi and nothing is going to change it. if those I call friends cannot accept it, then so be it…" after saying that, there was silence.

"Wanna go to the hot springs and share a drink?" Jiraiya suggested.

Naruto thought about it for a moment before nodding. "That sounds like a good idea. My body is a little tense with all the thinking; I could use something to refresh my mind."

Jiraiya smiled, "I have the sake, we need saucers," he said. Naruto pointed at a cupboard and Jiraiya walked up to fetch two saucers – it was just the two of them, and one two more glasses. It made the Sannin frown, but when he turned to face Naruto, he was smiling.

Nothing further was said as the two disappeared and went out to look for a hotspring that didn't have anyone in it. once they found it, they got in. "Ah, when was the last time we did this?" Jiraiya asked holding his saucer with Naruto just away on his right side, naked inside the water as he was.

"I don't remember," Naruto's response was quick to come.

"Let me gauge your memory a bit," Jiraiya said with a grin. "You were crying after losing your virginity. You were crying as if you'd been raped and saying something like you wanted to do it first with your beloved, Sakura-chan…" the Toad Sage laughed at the memory.

"I thought we discussed that we were not going to talk about it again," Naruto said, not the least amused.

Jiraiya shrugged. "I don't remember that agreement," he said.

"That woman did rape me though. I was tied on a bed, with chakra seals, how is that not rape?" Naruto asked.

"Some women just like it that way… sometimes I do too," the Sannin admitted without any shame. "You didn't have to cry about it though…"

"Those tears were for your amusement, erro-sennin," Naruto said firmly. "I does make me feel almost touched that you would leave your beloved Tsunade and come to me…"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, and took a sip of his sake. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Naruto smiled. "You think I don't know that you're in love with the old hag? Give me some credit sensei. I should know, I have also been a victim of unrequited love."

Jiraiya sighed, "I forgot about her," he said of Sakura. "What are you going to do about her?"

"No offense, but I don't want to end up like you, sensei. You have always been a pervert, but the thing with her makes it worse. You know she will never love you, yet you still hopelessly love her. I have gone through enough pain to cling onto something like that. My own happiness should matter as well… even though I used to say seeing her smile makes it all right, but my happiness should matter as well…"

Jiraiya smiled. "You're speaking like a grown up now," the man said. "I wish for you to be happy as well. Then who are you going to go after? Or are you just going to 'experiment' until you find the right one?"

Naruto snorted, "I'm not a pervert like you, sensei…"

"Says the brat who uses a perverted jutsu and actually wrote the last issue of Icha Icha paradise…" the Sannin said. He was still a little bitter about that. how could Naruto who has never written anything, write his book under his name and send it to his publisher, worse, the publisher liked it and published it.

"That was because we needed money and you could not find any inspiration to write anything… Besides, I created that jutsu to beat up perverted people like you…"

"It works," Jiraiya said. "Speaking of which, can you create one for me… harem style. Ever since you saw a naked women, it has really been appealing and provocative… just sitting here without women is making the water cold…"

"You do know that inside it is a man…"

"It doesn't look a man to me…" Jiraiya said firmly. "Now, are you going to do it?" the man was already grinning madly.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not going to stay behind and watch it… it will be just too disgusting…"

"You're still going to get the memories…"

Naruto shook his head. "I will create a clone that won't give me memories… and you know what, if you touch them… they might go boom in lightning. With all the water here and an intoxicated body, I'm sure it will be quite a shock…"

Jiraiya didn't think about that pain; Naruto had done it before. If he touched the clones, they would shock him, it wasn't fun as it left him paralyzed, but he was not going to stop because of that.

 **The following Day**

Tsunade sighed loudly when Danzo entered her office with one of his lackeys in the name of Koharu. It was still early in the morning and she was still nursing a headache, she really didn't need anything or anyone compounding to her pain… she didn't enjoy it that much.

"What do you want?" The Godaime Hokage asked impatiently.

She was sure it had something to do with Naruto, but she wasn't going to entertain anything that she did not agree with. Just as the Sandaime had refused to allow Danzo to touch Naruto, she would not allow it and she would not do it in a nice way as her sensei did. She would be willing to even pummel the old man to the ground if he tried something behind her back.

She wasn't forgiving as her sensei had been.

"It is about the Kyubi's Jinchuriki. We know that he has returned to the village, but we do not know if he has received enough training… but that isn't why we are here anyway," Danzo said. "Team seven is missing a member since you allowed Sasuke to leave the village…"

"Allowed?" Tsunade asked, not the least amused by the accusation. "I remember sending a team to go after him. it did end up in failure but it wasn't because for the lack of trying…"

"A couple of Genin and a newly promoted Chunin… is that what you call a team?" Danzo asked. "For a mission of that scale, you should have sent at least Anbu to go after him but you chose to send children. I wasn't surprised when they failed… and our Jinchuriki was almost killed in the process."

Tsunade glared. "If it had been up to you, things would have gone better, right?" the Godaime asked sarcastically.

"Without question," Danzo said even though he knew the woman was being sarcastic in her question. "I have not come here to fight. I want to make a proposal."

"What?"

"Team 7 currently lacks a fourth member; I am willing to give you one of my own. He is around the age and will fit in well. Sasuke is no longer here and as we increase our efforts to track him down, team seven will need a new member."

"You just want to spy on Naruto closely," Tsunade said in a flat tone. "But I will not deny that there isn't anyone who can fit into that team now. Fine, you request has been granted. If there is nothing else, get out of my office, I'd like to rest a little more before doing some work."

Both Koharu and Danzo left without another word. Once they were gone, Jiraiya made his appearance, spotting some bandages. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Long story…" Jiraiya said with a smile. "We didn't talk about Sasuke yesterday."

Tsunade nodded. "Where does Naruto stand about it?"

"Truthfully," Jiraiya started. "I do not know anymore. We have never talked about it with him. we last spoke about it while he was still in the hospital, after we left, we never spoke about it and he never once asked about the Uchiha's whereabouts, not even once."

Tsunade frowned. "I don't think that is bad, but it still feels somehow considering how he was when he left the village," the woman said.

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "Don't think too much over it. It won't make any difference. If Sakura or Kakashi asks, Sasuke is still with Orochimaru. He has been moving around with Orochimaru in different places. But I don't know where they are. Whenever news reaches me, they are already at a different place. Keeping track of our former teammate is still hard as it was…"

"Well, he was always slippery…" Tsunade said. "Are you leaving?"

Jiraiya nodded. "I need to find some information about the Akatsuki. There is a lead I got; I want to check it out but I won't be gone for too long…"

"Just be careful out there…" Tsunade said.

Jiraiya grinned. "Worried about poor old me, hime?" he said. "You don't have to… I am Jiraiya the Legendary Toad sage; I can take care of myself…"

 **Training Ground 7**

Naruto looked around the familiar training ground. An air of nostalgia washed over him as he looked up into the sky. There were many memories that were made here, a lot of good times and the bad… friendship he thought he had created. At this moment, Naruto didn't know if it had amounted to something. He had been nearly killed, but that was a thing of yesterday.

He was over it, but he was not going to allow it to happen again.

Sasuke was okay with him being weak and he being stronger. When he got stronger, the Uchiha became jealous of him. A petty emotion that kills weak-minded people who just cannot accept that someone is better than them at something. A superiority complex? But what was it? Just an empty pride.

Naruto did not have the time to obsess over someone because they have gotten better at something; If they had worked hard for it, then it was something that they that needed to be praised. Hard work did pay, it wasn't something that needed to be resented. Petty people went that far because of their own weakness.

"Naruto…" Sakura called, smiling, a beautiful smile.

Naruto turned to face the pinkette. He had seen her yesterday, but he had not said any word to her, or to anyone he saw. Looking at her so up close, he could see that she had grown… he amused himself at the thought that Ino would now have more reasons to make fun of her front view.

Still, she was still the Sakura he had been madly in love with. She had rejected him so many times, in so many painful ways. He had been annoying, and someone or something a person wouldn't want to go out with. Yes, she had said it all, and yet, he never resented one bits, he continued to love.

Ah, how naïve young love was.

"Sakura," Naruto responded with a smile of his own. "It has been long, hasn't it?"

Sakura blinked; there was no 'Sakura-chan' in a loud tone – it was a calm tone and a charming smile that greeted her. Yes, she had said it; Naruto's smile was charming. She would not say it aloud to him, but that was she thought.

"It has," she said. "You never wrote…"

Naruto smiled, "I didn't have your address…" he said jokingly. "You have grown beautifully well, though. The past years have sure been treating you well…"

Sakura seemed to beam at that. "Well, I have been taking care of myself and I was training harder than before. If we are going to bring Sasuke-kun back, I also need to do my fair share. As a member of team seven I must also do my part."

Training harder than before? That statement made Naruto raise an eyebrow. It was just ridiculous. The girl had not been training, what she did was put up make up in order to look good for Sasuke. Even when they were going out on missions, she was most concerned about how she looked. Ah, he missed those bitter days.

Since Naruto was a nice person, he didn't say any of his thoughts aloud, he just smiled, "That's is good to hear, Sakura…" he said happily.

"I…" Sakura trailed off as she twisted around, sensing something. There was a black and white lion jumping down on them. she didn't waste them before slamming it into drops of black ink with just one punch.

Naruto narrowed his eyes behind him for a second as a pale skinned male flashed behind, a kodachi at him, poised to stab on the back. It wasn't that he couldn't have dodged it. Doing so was just pointless since he had already discovered the teenager had been here before he came.

The blond turned his attention back to Sakura. "That is just scary," he said. "It reminds me of that woman sitting in the Hokage's office…"

Sakura smiled, her right fist held up firmly. "Well, that woman is my master. She was the one who was teaching me while you were away…"

Naruto smiled. Well, she just got scary. The pinkette used to get angry back then, but now naruto would not want to get her mad. He didn't want to have a repeat of Jiraiya and Tsunade's relationship. It was fine with just those two, the sickness did not have to pass on them as if it was genetic.

"Well, you were right to say you have been training hard…" Naruto said continuing with his efforts to igore Sai. "I'm guessing you didn't just learn her monstrous punches. You were always smart, excellent chakra control, medical Ninjutsu?"

Sakura nodded. "You're looking at the third best medic nin in Konoha, and soon I was surpass Shizune…" the pinkette said a bit proudly.

It was something to praise, considering that a few years ago, she was nothing more than a fan girl who couldn't do a good fight. The thought just reminded him of her pathetic attempt of a fight with another fan girl in the name of Ino Yamanaka.

"Are you really ignoring me, dickhead?" Sai asked with a creepy smile on his face.

Sakura hadn't really given the pale teen a look because she had been busy with Naruto. He was different, spoke in a quiet and smooth tone that made you just want to listen to it. If he had grown like this, then her beloved Sasuke must have grown splendidly well as well.

"Who is he, Naruto?" Sakura asked, becoming defensive. "Is he the one who attacked us earlier?" She asked.

Naruto nodded, "Yes, he is, but he doesn't appear to be looking for much trouble that warrants action."

Sai didn't show it, but he was slightly surprised. This Naruto was actually different from the one he had in mind, this wasn't what his Intel suggested. He thought that picking up a fight him would be easy, but even when he made a move, the blond didn't react to it, just because he could sense that he wasn't here for his life.

The Root spy had no delusions; he knew that Naruto had sensed him when he appeared, he just didn't do anything, not because he could not, but because he felt there was no action that needed to be taken. How could he tell though? The Naruto he was supposed to meet was supposed to be a naïve and stupid brat, not this calm person.

Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke, the iconic eye smile in place, a laid-back body language, his beloved book on his left hand, his right inside his pocket. The moment the eye smile went away, it was replaced by a slight look of boredom.

"That is Sai, he will be your new teammate," Kakashi said a bit lazily.

"What?" Sakura seemed incensed by the thought.

Kakashi was a lot more interested in Naruto's reaction, lack of rather. The blond didn't say a word, he didn't blink. Sighing, the Jonin looked at the irate teenage girl and responded. "Team seven is one member short, and for it to be active you need to have another team member, otherwise, there is no team… if you don't want it, you can talk to the Hokage and the team can be dissolved…"

"I don't want the team to be dissolved," Sakura said in a barely audible tone. This was like her second family, she was only missing Sasuke. Even though she liked the Uchiha more, Naruto and Kakashi were still important to her. "At the same time, I don't want anyone taking Sasuke's place."

"Sasuke ran from this village… if he left, it is only logical that he be replaced," Sai said in an emotionless tone.

Sakura glared; any more word from the pale black haired teen and she was going to snap. There was no one who could replace Sasuke, no one. He would always have a place in their team, in her heart, in Konoha. They would bring him back to Konoha and things would go back to normal once again.

"What do you think, Naruto?"

"I have no problem," Naruto said. "Besides, if the Hokage approved it, there is nothing that can be done, unless you want to go make a fuss in the office. But, if there is hope of Sasuke returning, then a space for him must be left open…" the words were worded carefully.

Sakura nodded firmly. "Get that?" She said with a look to Sai. "You're only warming up Sasuke's seat…"

Kakashi sighed, "Well, I only called you to show you your new teammate. We will start training tomorrow at…" the man appeared to think for a few moments… "Let us say around 8:30… for now, you can just get to know each other or not…"

The Jonin didn't look really interested in anything. He appeared to be saying it just for the sake of it. Naruto shook his head. Well, this was Hatake Kakashi, what else should he expect?

"Oh, one more thing," Kakashi said after something apparently hit him. "Yamato; you can come out now…" the Jonin called. A man appeared in a flash beside Kakashi. "This is captain Yamato, he will also assist and at times may act as team leader when I am not available… I guess that is enough with introductions, we talk tomorrow during training… oh, Naruto, can I talk to you…"

"I wanted to talk to him, sensei," Sakura said before sighing. "We were actually planning a reunion yesterday but you kind of went off the grid… we will do it again, tonight, 8pm, don't be late and don't think of not coming; I will come and drag you myself…" the pinkette warned. "You can join us if you like," she said to Sai.

She sounded as if she was just being polite.

Naruto merely shook his head. Before turning to Kakashi; Yamato was once again gone. Anbu; they were masters of this kind of a game. Sometimes he wished he could be just as cool, but he wasn't that silent. The wind didn't move in silence, unless it was gentle breeze, unfortunately, he was anything but that.

"You haven't changed a bit," Naruto said to Kakashi as the two slowly walked back towards the village.

"You have changed in many more ways than one," the Jonin said. "Your clothes have not though… well, expecting that part of you to change would be expecting miracles and such things do not really happen in the shinobi world."

Naruto laughed, "Don't be like that, Kakashi-sensei," the blond said. "Miracles do happen… but this thing kind of holds some sentimental value for me. Something big will have to happen for me to drop it. It is just like my apartment, I don't plan on changing it because of the sentimental value it holds… well, now I can't do anything because I'm actually broke…"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you start holding things like that?"

"Since I heard Jiraiya-sensei use the word," Naruto said with a smile. "When you spend your time listening to a man, you slowly start to pick up some things about him because the reality is that what he says influences you in many ways."

Kakashi looked thoughtful as he tried to imagine Jiraiya speaking wisdom to Naruto – it was even difficult to comprehend that Naruto was the kind of person who would listen to someone talk. Well, things do change and there was enough that has happened in Naruto's life that shouldn't surprise people if he changed.

It was like if he snapped; most people would not be shocked, but would actually ask, 'he finally snapped?'

"Yamato," Naruto started. "From the information Jiraiya gave me, he is a former Root operative and a Mokuton user," the blond said.

It was interesting that Jiraiya would tell something like that. it wasn't really a secret but he just didn't think that he Sannin would tell it to Naruto. But this just meant that the level of trust between the two had grown and that Jiraiya trusted Naruto to know things that were not known to the public. If that was the case, what more information did Naruto know?

The Sannin was a spymaster, so he had all kinds of information. "Why would Jiraiya tell you something like that?"

"Mokuton was the reason he informed me. He assumed that when I returned to the village, there might be someone put closer to me because I am a Jinchuriki…"

Well, not because he was a Jinchuriki but because they wanted to keep the Bijuu in check as if he had already gone out crazy or was manipulating him. Naruto felt insulted by the thought. it was Tsunade who could make the decision and honestly, he was disappointed.

It just meant that the woman didn't trust him with the power. Was he some child that needed to be supervised? This really made him feel as if he was a ticking time bomb that had to be shackled in case it decided to set off.

"I guess there is no reason in denying anything," Kakashi said calmly. "Hokage-sama suggested that he be brought just in case something happens. I guess this is because Jiraiya-sama told her that you have learned to use the Kyubi's power. Previously, you were only able to use it after experiencing intense emotions…" the Jonin took a thoughtful look as a memory flashed. "Well, you did use it on your own during the Chunin exams…"

"Well, I had to win that battle," Naruto said.

Kakashi didn't waste time before changing the subject. "I actually wanted to know how you've been doing? We didn't get to talk much after everything… and I have kind of missed you after this past years."

"If I was a little cynical I would have found that to be amusing," Naruto started calmly. "You're the guy who hardly taught me anything and worse, got Ebisu to teach me in preparation for the Chunin exams. Ebisu of all people… My Taijutsu was lacking, there were a lot of flaws in my fighting style, and yet you gave me a babysitter to train me."

Kakashi winced at that; maybe he should have done better knowing that Naruto was going to face someone in all aspects of skills bettered Naruto. It had not been skill that won Naruto the fight with Neji, but will and determination. He could not take credit for any of that, he was merely a sensei to Naruto by name.

"If…" Kakashi said. He smiled, "I guess you don't resent me for it then," he said a in a mildly bitter tone.

"I'm not into hating people," Naruto responded calmly.

"That has always been a quality that makes you stand out," Kakashi said. "But truly, I did fail you as your sensei. I should have done better… considering…" the Jonin trailed off, biting his lip. He nearly said something about Naruto's father having taken his time to teach him. "Well, everything…" he eyed Naruto to see if the blond had noticed it, but there was nothing in Naruto's expression to suggest he did.

"Maybe, but while you may not have done much, personally, I learned valuable lessons about life from you… there are things that I cannot forget; the memories with Team 7… everything was okay because you were our sensei…" Naruto said in a calm tone.

"You have certainly grown," Kakashi said a bit proudly. "So, how was your trip with Jiraiya-sama? I'm sure he took you through a lot of things…" the man added with a slight perverted smile. Kakashi was certain of it, the Sannin wasn't the greatest model, and if he was willing to get off with Naruto's 'Sexy Jutsu' then he could certainly get far.

"It was what you call a roller coaster… had its highs and lows but through everything, I learned a lot of things about life, this world, shinobi, jutsu… so many things… it was fun," Naruto said without going into detail.

Kakashi fell short of saying that he was expecting something a little naughty, but it was fine. Naruto did seem to have gone through a good growth period that should serve him well in the future. "You're gonna have to get along with Sai, though…. why did you ignore him anyway?"

"Jiraiya has taught me that you should be able to read the atmosphere, and at times, I try to take it literally. He obviously had his reasons for trying to pick up a fight, but since he had no negative feelings that would make me nervous, I decided it would be pointless to go about it like that," Naruto responded calmly. "Even Gai doesn't just attack you; he first requests a challenge…"

Kakashi just shook his head; there was nothing wrong with what the blond Uzumaki had said, he just didn't have a comment on it. "I look forward to seeing how far you have gone with your training… tomorrow…" the Jonin waved his free hand before taking another direction.

Once Kakashi had disappeared, Naruto looked up into the sky, just wondering what he could do… he had a lot of time before he was able to see the others… it would be later on – he had the whole day to himself. He didn't feel like training, he had done plenty of it during his time with Jiraiya, now was a time to see the results of his training before looking into what he could improve on.

Naruto placed his hands inside his pockets before walking deep into the village streets. He would have to navigate his way towards Icharaku once more again, after that, he would need food, but the funds department were not looking too bright.

Perhaps it was best to go to Tsunade and get a mission to do to earn something. He could do as many D-ranked missions as he liked before rewarding himself with a steaming miso ramen. Naruto nodded at that thought; he would go and do that.

 **Hokage Office**

"Back here so soon?" Tsunade asked as Naruto walked into her office.

"I came here yesterday and that was to report on my return to the village," Naruto said. "Is Jiraiya still around, or did he leave?" the blond asked. He wasn't able to find the man earlier, so he assumed he had disappeared from the village not that he would find it surprising.

"He left," Tsunade said. "He said he was going to follow a lead, didn't say where to," the Fifth paused to study Naruto's expression. "You don't seem surprised by that…"

"The pervert doesn't like standing at one place, he likes moving around to exercise his freedom to go to any land he pleases to visit," Naruto said with an air of indifference. "I'm here for a mission. what you can find for me… after completing it, I will come back for more."

Tsunade stared; Naruto stared back causing her to sigh, "The only difference with a couple of years ago is that you were loud about it," the blonde Kage said. "Why do you want a mission? Others are still meeting with their teams, but you could join in if you like…"

"My team meeting was short," Naruto said. "Maybe Kakashi didn't feel like it today," the blond said. "In any case, I really need a mission. Any rank, even D-rank, as long as it is within the walls of the village, I will do it…"

"Since when do you willingly request for D-rank missions?"

The questioned seemed to amuse Naruto. In reality, it wasn't the question, he was amused by his past behavior. It hadn't mattered who had been in the chair, even with the Sandaime, he had demanded hard missions to be challenged. D-rank missions were just chores after all, and in his competition with Sasuke, he couldn't get on top while weeding grass and chasing rebellious cats.

"Since now," Naruto said. "Now you are you going to give me the mission, baa-chan?"

 **Later Day**

Kiba glared heatedly at the bottle of juice that was sitting in front of him. He wasn't alone; members of Team Asuma and his teammates were also present along with Sakura. Team Gai would have been invited, but they were currently out on a mission. It wasn't the reason the Inuzuka was staring at the glass though – he was staring specifically because it was juice.

He wanted to drink some alcohol. They were out with no one to tell them what to do and what not to do. His mother wouldn't even complain much if she knew he was drinking. Besides, he was a shinobi. There was that saying: old enough to kill, old enough to drink. Between killing and drinking what was worse?

"Do we really have to drink this thing?" Kiba asked, looking at Ino – who had organised everything. "We don't have these kinds of nights often… some sake would make it a special occasion…"

Sakura was quick to respond before Ino could, "Not everyone drinks alcohol, Kiba. Some of us still see ourselves as teenagers and we want to live out our years doing the normal things that Teenagers do…"

True, there was a lot fot hings in the Shinobi world that went wrong and a very low moral standing ground, even so, Sakura liked to believe that one could still decide how they lived their live regardless of the enivromrnt that surrounds them. Just because the world was surrounded by corrupt people didn't mean that they also had to be corrupt.

If anything, Kiba found Sakura's anaswer to be dull; he didn't even have a response for it.

"If you want to drink something, you can and will at the afterparty," Ino responded calmly. "We can all go if you don't mind. You need to loosen up every now and then…" The Yamanaka paused and looked around. "Where is Naruto anyway?"

"I warned him about being late," Sakura said in a firm tone. If he runs late, there would be pain. She didn't want her teammate picking up their sensei's tardiness – it would just be bad.

"We're bit early," Shikamaru said in a barely audible tone. "He might still be busy or just finishing some things. I heard he was busy around the village all day doing missions… D-ranked missions," the Nara finished calmly.

Sakura showed surprise in that, "Naruto doing D-rank missions?" She asked. "He used to hate them. Even when we first went to our first mission outside the village, he had demanded a challenging mission from the Sandaime, it was the same thing with Tsunade-sama…"

She had found that behavior to be unbecoming, espcieally since he hadn't been showing any respect to their leaders. But Sakura had just come to realize that he was like that because he had held a special bond with them. Even though Tsunade was her master, she knew, she couldn't take Naruto's place, and most likely didn't hold as much value to the blonde Hokage as he did.

But it was alright.

"That sounds just like him," Ino said with a smile. "Even though he would still end up being a dead-weight during missions and leave all the job to Sasuke-kun…"

Just hearing, Shikamaru looked at Chouji with a sigh. He could not get used to this kind of attitude from Ino and she could flip it effortlessly. The big teen was already at work – eating. The Nara just shook his head, it appeared that everything else could wait, but not food.

Shikamaru turned his attention to Sakura when the pinkette responded to Ino. "You shouldn't believe everything you hear, Ino…" she said in a firm tone.

"Everything?" Ino asked with a raised brow. "Aren't you the one who told me that, Sakura?" She was suddenly curious and surprised at what the friend of hers was talking about. There were things that the villagers spoke about what happened in team 7 but she had not been saying anything because of those rumors but because Sakura had said so.

"I may have omitted the truth every now and then…" Sakura said a bit uneasily when Hinata's eyes fell on her. "Something wrong, Hinata?"

The Hyuga shook her head.

Before Sakura could be asked questions on what she omitted, Naruto made his appearance known. "Hey guys…" he greeted with a huge smile and wave of his hand before sitting down beside Kiba, just across the girls. "Sorry, I'm late… I forgot to check the time while I was doing some chores…"

"Why were you even doing them anyway? Without your teammates?" Sakura asked.

"Well," Naruto started, a bit sheepishly, "I needed the money. You know, I don't have anyone to buy me things and to eat, I must work…"

"It sucks being poor," Ino said without any thought.

"It does at times," Naruto agreed – this surprised some of his friends. "Well, it is good to see you guys…." He said looking around the table. The last person he looked at was Hinata and the girl quickly looked down. His smile just turned small, a bit charming with a hint of amusement in his eyes, but there was no word that left his mouth.

Ino stared, "Wow," she said with a smile. "That was rather charming… you have grown quite well… and you voice seem a little down… not bad at all…" she said.

Naruto smiled, "If that is coming from you, Ino, I will take it with full compliments," the blond said calmly before adding. "You have grown rather beautifully yourself… admittedly, you stand out amongst your age group…"

Once again, Ino stared, did Naruto just compliment her and did she actually feel good about it? She shook her head. What was happening here? Maybe Kiba was right, they do need something to drink. The fact that Naruto appeared to be different from the loud boy she used to know was already a shock, but this was something else.

"Speaking of growing," Kiba started with a grin on his face. "All of us here have graduated from being genins to become Chunin… you're the only one ranked lower than all of us… meaning, you're our Junior…"

"The hell?" Naruto exclaimed. This was certainly a surprise. He didn't think everyone would have moved on so quickly. Even Ino and Sakura had managed to get one before he could… considering how they performed at the Chunin exams back then, it was something to smile about. "Well, rankings don't really determine how strong you are…"

That wasn't completely true. The only reason he was still a Chunin was because he never got the chance to enter the Chunin exams in his time away from Konoha while his friends had the time. The fact they they have become Chunin now means that they have become strong, and have graduated from being mere genins… didn't that say their rank determined their strength?

Personally, for him, his rank didn't determine his rank, but that was only because he hasn't taken the time to be judged.

"Well, it can't be helped, when the others went to the Chunin exams, you were still away," Shikamaru said.

"I was kind of hoping that you'd show up," Chouji added. "I think most of us we hoping for that as well."

"I didn't know there were exams occurring," Naruto said. "If I had known, I wouldn't have missed them. My last participation was ruined by the invasion after I had progressed to the next round of the finals…" and that was after winning against all odds.

He was just that awesome, wasn't he?

"I still say rank matters," Kiba butted in once again. "We can prove it any time…"

Naruto grinned. "I am up for that… how about arm wrestling? If I win, I am right and you're wrong…"

"That would be too easy," Kiba said with a feral grin. "I want to take you on in a battle… a real battle. I have not forgotten that you defeated me at the preliminary exams…"

"Settled," Naruto said. "I will take on tomorrow, but for now, how about we enjoy the night? I have missed you guys…"

 **That concludes the first chapter**

 **As I have said on my profile, this story will be a prequel to God Amongst Men. As I was working on it, I came to realize that some things might not play out exactly as said in GAM.**

 **It will take some time for Naruto to move into the infamous list... despite that, the story might not be long.**

 **Don't expect a second chapter soon. I will give this my all once I complete either MK or Legend.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	2. Chapter 2

Not long ago, Naruto had graced this training ground as an idiot who only thought about being better than Sasuke and trying to look good in front of Sakura.

The former had grown to be envious of his growth, so much that he decided to join Orochimaru and then attempt to kill him; the latter had never loved him, she had turned him down day and night, no matter how hard he had tried.

Unrequited love was surely a bitter bitch.

Well, at least he could exchange some notes with Jiraiya about the pains of the heart. Jiraiya's time was much more miserable. He had been young and naïve, but it couldn't have been at a difficult time for him; Being rejected so brutally, when he was alone, when he was trying so hard to be loved and to be appreciated.

He was past those naïve days though. He would no longer foolishly pursue things that could not get his hands on no matter what he tried.

Besides, these days he was in it for something much bigger. It was safe to say that he had discarded his personal desires for something much bigger. He wanted to give his life a purpose, and he would give it that purpose. He just needed the time and enough courage to do what he needed to do.

Naruto glanced around the training ground he had shared so many memories with people he had considered as friends, and family. He had been here a day ago with the new Team 7, but, this time, it was a little different. He wasn't here on anyone's order; he was here because he wanted to test something.

It had nothing to do with anyone, but his own ideals and what he wanted to see from these people that he called friends. He wasn't just going to see what Kiba could do. He wasn't that of an arrogant person, but the Inuzuka wasn't someone who could give him a challenge – he needed something much stronger to be challenged.

He was, nevertheless, not here because he was looking for a challenge, but just wanted to see if these people were as strong as they made themselves to be.

They had graduated to higher ranks than he had. He was still just a mere genin and they had higher ranks. Kiba was exploding about how being ranked higher than him meant he was stronger. It was a false impression, Naruto knew and he was going to prove it to the Inuzuka.

"Are you going to just space out all day?" Kiba demanded from Naruto.

The black haired was becoming slightly impatient with the blond Uzumaki. Naruto was clearly lost in his thought, but Kiba didn't have all day. He wanted to show off and then go off to do something else. He had duties to attend and missions to attend. He still had his team meeting even.

"Don't tell me that you're having second thoughts?" Kiba asked with a grin. "If you're afraid of fighting, we can call it quits."

Truth be told, although, Kiba was confident about his abilities, he was a little nervous. Naruto hadn't been as skilled as Sasuke or Neji, but he had the power to fight off those two. He had won against a prodigy and he now looked completely different from the way he was back then.

Naruto's eyes fell on Kiba for a moment with nothing in them. He then smiled. "You don't frighten me Kiba." Naruto said calmly. "I'm a little glad that everyone else is here. You are all my friends, and I want to test something; I want to know if you are really strong enough to stand what is about to come."

Shikamaru grew curious the moment Naruto said those words, with that mysterious tone. Perhaps he was feeling something in the air, but he felt there had been a chill that went down his spine when Naruto spoke. The blond was talking about something that neither of them knew. He wanted to know what it was that Naruto was talking about, because the blond looked serious.

Naruto of the old may have been a loud-mouthed idiot, but even then, Shikamaru had taken some things he said seriously.

As troublesome as it was, this appeared to be something he could not simply ignore, especially since this Naruto was different from the old one.

"What do you mean by that, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"We know we are friends; you don't have remind us…" Sakura said. "We are missing Sasuke, but we will always be friends, no matter what."

Sasuke had deserted Konoha, but they were still planning to get him back. He was still their teammate and friend – he was just lost at the moment, but they would get him back and things would go back to normal. Sakura was certain of it. She had hope and she would not lose it. So no matter what happened with anyone of them, they would always be friends.

As smart as she was, Sakura was certainly naïve. Naruto would have thought that someone experienced as Tsunade would have taught her better. Jiraiya had showed him the cold truth of how people live and the rot within the hearts of men. He had seen so many despicable things that people do to each other – it was unpleasant and it made him see the hearts of some people as the hearts of evil.

There were things that people could never turn back from… if he went through what he wanted to do, she would not call him a friend. They would look at him with contempt. And perhaps as his teammate, Sakura would feel a lot more obligated to stand over him to end his life.

However, something had to change if she wanted to have a chance in making that miracle.

"During these past years, I saw so many things… the good and the bad, but mostly the bad. One thing remained constant; if you are weak, those strong will abuse you. It's not always the case though. Friends can fill the gaps; where one fails, a friend can fill that gap." Naruto said before shaking his head. "Perhaps this is a little too much for you."

They have been sheltered in this village for far too long. Perhaps there are a few things that they too have experienced but they were still ignorant to what truly happens in the world outside. Naruto only hoped that they stayed together at all times, because it was this friendship that would save them.

This friendship was important and was something he always wanted to have look at. It would serve to remind him of the life he once had.

"Kiba; you're still a just a mere Chunin. Your rank truly means nothing. You say that you have grown strong, but so have I. I wasn't simply just travelling around the world, seeing different kinds of people, drunkards, whores, twisted people, sinister men and following Jiraiya as he drinks and sleep with different women…" Naruto said as he took a stance. "I was also training; I won't compare, but my training was brutal."

Kiba noticed; Naruto's expression changed entirely, even the look on his eyes; it wasn't the same Naruto who had been smiling moments ago, the same Naruto who had been drinking with his friends last night – this was a different person.

He was staring at a battle-hardened shinobi.

"Ready, buddy?" Kiba said to Akamaru, with a grin.

Confidence before a battle was never an issue for the Inuzuka – Naruto knew that. He just hoped that the confidence didn't bring out that demon of arrogance. Sasuke had possessed much of it in abundance and in the end, he had ended up being nearly surpassed by an idiot who didn't know damn about what a skill was.

Without even waiting for the Inuzuka to attack him, Naruto disappeared via gusts of winds. Kiba felt a breeze hit his body from behind. While he wasn't sure because his nose couldn't pick up the scent cleanly because of the breeze, he jumped forward along with Akamaru just for safe measures. Before he even hit the ground, the Inuzuka twisted around, having sensed Naruto.

The blond was in the same spot he had been a second ago, hands clasped together.

Naruto's eyes were fully focused on the Inuzuka as he prepared his jutsu. He was merely gathering the wind around him with his hands clasped together, but once done, he would release something that would vanish in the blink of an eye. It would be either Kiba has the speed to avoid it or not. If he isn't fortunate, he would be hit.

Kiba finally landed on the ground. Naruto wasn't attacking, but he would attack. Kiba was certain of it. He may not have been the brightest, but he had been brighter than the blond Uzumaki and he could tell without anyone needing to give him a hint that Naruto was preparing an attack. Given the time he was taking to prepare it, it was apparent that it was going to be something else.

Still, when had Naruto learned to execute complex jutsus? As far as he knew, the blond only knew to use the Rasengan and those Shadow clones. He could only use two jutsus back then… could he have improved that much? There was the wind. It was the blond's doing.

"Let's not wait for him, Akamaru…" Kiba said to his loyal partner. In response, Akamaru barked.

" **Gatsuga**!" Using his beloved combination jutsu, Kiba rotated along with Akamaru in ferocious speeds. You could not even see the two from the rotation. It took seconds for the jutsu to slam towards Naruto's form.

The blond watched with a careful eye as Kiba shot towards him. When the Chunin was just inches away from him, the blond jumped up in a burst of speed. The speed in which he jumped up was so fast that the ground below him shattered slightly, causing dust to pick up.

Kiba hit the ground but it didn't appear as if there had been something because the rotation dug through the ground with little effort before he burst out on another side, lunging up towards Naruto's form. Naruto looked down for a moment before his eyes looked to the other side… the direction he wanted to go.

The Gatsuga was upon him within seconds and slammed into his chest. A second later, Naruto burst into a puff of smoke. The blond appeared on the ground, eyes looking up as Kiba's jutsu turned its fangs towards his form. This was still something else, despite dodging it.

Naruto was merely looking for a way to stop the jutsu, not a way to avoid it. It was a lot of more interesting that way and it gave him plenty of options. Not only that, but it also weakened the will of the opponent. He wasn't about to start fighting in a barbaric action without any honour, but fighting smart with full understanding of Ninjutsu was the best option. It was even more of a bonus since this wasn't a life and death situation.

Naruto held out his right hand, the palm facing the incoming Gatsuga. "Wind tornado." Wind gathered within seconds and then started rotating dangerously as it expanded in size, heading towards the incoming jutsu. The rotation was made to be as powerful as Kiba's because if it was weaker, it would be of no use to him.

The tornado was rotating towards the same direction as Kiba's Gatsuga. When the two jutsus met, Kiba's movements were halted from going further, but he didn't stop spinning. He kept rotating and then started moving slowly toward Naruto. The blond slid back slightly before holding out his left hand and joined it with his right hand, to increase the output of chakra in his jutsu.

Once Naruto was sure that his chakra had taken over the rotation, he released bolts of lightning, within the rotation. The lightning was so much that the lightning currents burst through the tornado, followed by a pained cry from Kiba and Akamaru.

It wasn't something that lasted for a long period before Naruto allowed the rotation to stop whilst the lightning did a number on Kiba and his partner. It went on for more than a minute before the tornado burst and dispersed. Kiba fell down the ground, unconscious.

Everyone blinked seeing the end of it.

Being a medic, Sakura quickly rushed towards Kiba to check if he was alright. She had been certain that he was unconscious with the way he fell and the smoke coming out of his body as well as Akamaru's. The pinkette knelt the ground, and inspected Kiba for a moment before looking at Akamaru.

They were fine and had no wounds on their bodies.

"Why did you rush out like that?" Naruto asked, looking down at Sakura. He hadn't moved a muscle when the girl rushed over. Kiba had fallen just next to his feet. He hadn't moved, not an inch. Perhaps he should have just ignored this little action.

"I'm a medic…" Sakura said. "When someone falls, I react instinctively."

Naruto stared for a moment before shaking his head. "That is growth… I'm glad." He said with a smile. "I'm, a little disappointed with Kiba though."

His jutsu wasn't anything serious, but Kiba had allowed himself to be caught and then it was the end of the battle. No, it wasn't even a battle. Then again, Kiba's style of fighting wasn't suited for fighting against an all-round fighter like him. When going against him, the Inuzuka would always be at a disadvantage.

Still, Naruto wanted them to be stronger. He hoped that the others were far stronger than this, because he wanted them to be strong enough to stop him. They were his friends; they accepted him when the village resented his very existed. He was going to betray them; it would be poetic and much more satisfying if they were to be the ones to end him.

However, if this was the best that he could expect from them, then they could do nothing.

"Disappointed?" Sakura asked; a bit puzzled.

This was a different Naruto from the one back then. The blond she knew wouldn't have said something like that and he wouldn't have dispatched of Kiba so easily.

True he did win against the Inuzuka back then, and then, he wasn't well trained. He hadn't been helpless then, but still not that skilled. She had been even more baffled when he won against Neji. Well, that battle had been won purely on will power.

Skill had nothing to do with it, but this time, Naruto had skills. Of course, she still thought he could not hold a candle to Sasuke. Her Uchiha would always be a step better than Naruto. If the blond had improved this much, then Sasuke should be a step ahead of the blond.

By then, the others were stepping closer to the two and the dog. Ino had her hands around her waist. "Since when did you become like this?"

"I should not be surprised at your use of both Wind and Lightning Elements, but I am." Shikamaru said, eyeing Naruto carefully. When the blond left the village, he didn't know any Elemental chakra manipulation but now he could use two. The blond has always been a chakra powerhouse, that was something anyone in their group could not disagree with.

Shikamaru was confident enough in his assessment that he could say that the blond had more chakra than anyone in their generation. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to assume that he had more or as much chakra as some Jonins in the village.

That was three years ago, and the blond had gone out to train with a Sannin. If he hadn't improved or learned how to use his chakra, it would have been out of ignorance from his part or Jiraiya's negligence in Naruto's training.

Naruto merely smiled. "You can't expect me to be the same after all these years. Besides, I have always been keen to learn more jutsus. Perhaps I lacked the intelligence and a mentor to teach me back then, but with dedication, I managed to make the most of my large chakra reserves.

"My intension was never to actually win a bet with Kiba, but to actually judge your strength. I have seen that Sakura has grown much better than I would have expected. We may not be very powerful, but I hope you guys stay as friends and united. Of course, there will be disagreements, but I hope you never forsake your friendship."

"Why do you make it sound as if you're no longer going to be a part of us?" Ino was the first to ask the question.

Naruto smiled but shook his head. He did not respond to the question. "I guess we must talk about our former comrade Uchiha Sasuke. We went out to get him back, and we came back heavily injured. Some of us faced life and death situations in trying to retrieve him. I failed. I could not defeat Sasuke because he was better than I was.

"Perhaps to you guys it may not be much, he was our friend, and brother. He chose to abandon everything for power. I won't comment on anything regarding that or whether he is on his right mind or not. You are all free to make your own judgements based on what you see. I'll keep my thoughts to myself.

"In any case, if I come across him, I will fight to bring him back to the village, because he is wanted back in this village. I don't care about the politics, but I will fight him, and if I win, he will be brought back to the Hidden Leaf. Of course, that will depend on some other things."

There was a very dangerous message that was left unsaid; Shikamaru noted, but he didn't say anything regarding it. But from those words alone, he could tell that the blond didn't hold any attachment towards the Uchiha or perhaps it was just his imagination.

What was apparent was that Naruto had many thoughts in his head and that it was deeply concerning. This was different, but the Nara was certain that he would get to see something soon.

"Sasuke is still our comrade, Naruto." Sakura said in a firm tone. "He is just not okay."

Ino was the only one who seemed to agree with that assessment from Sakura. Well, the two have always been fan girls to the Uchiha – they have always tried their best to gain his attention. Naruto wasn't going to comment on it. But he was still disappointed that Sakura had remained the naïve little girl she had been three years ago. He would have thought that Tsunade would have taught her better…

Well, the Godaime had run off from Konoha to avoid dealing with her problems… should he really be surprised?

"All aside, you have certainly improved…" Shikamaru said. He still thought that Naruto was still hiding some of his abilities. "Two Elements? That is impressive, considering none us have gone so far."

"Well, you focus on your clan jutsus and we with too much chakra have no other option but to make use of our reserves by learning all the Ninjutsu we can." Naruto responded calmly.

He had learned that it wasn't the number of jutsus one had on his arsenal that made one powerful, but how he used the jutsu.

He could possess a thousand jutsus but if he didn't know how to use them, he would end up being defeated by one with only a couple of jutsu under their arsenal.

"This was disappointing though. I'd expected a bit of fireworks knowing that you've always been explosive and Kiba has never been subtle…" Shikamaru couldn't help but say.

It has proved to be an interesting revelation nonetheless. There was a side of Naruto he had just seen; a side of the blond he had never thought he would see.

As much as curious as he was about this new change and the hidden messages in the blond's words, Shikamaru wasn't going to ask too many questions. It was just going to be troublesome doing so, and he really didn't want anything that would give him a headache.

"You don't always get what you want…" Naruto said with a small smile. "Life is full of disappointments."

"Tell me about it…" Ino was quick to say.

Naruto turned to the blonde Yamanaka. There was unquestionably something in mind when she said those words. She was certainly not going in the same direction as he was, but Naruto didn't comment on it; he just let it slide.

Should he tell them about his status as a Jinchuriki?

Naruto pondered on the thought for a couple of seconds before shaking his head: he decided against doing so. They would find out eventually, and it was going to be soon since he didn't have much time in this village. Yes, there would only be a couple of days before he lets loose and become the enemy of the world.

He had been thinking it would be nice if they heard it from him, but since most of the village knew about it, they had to use their heads to figure things out. The Sandaime's law no longer applied, did it? Naruto couldn't answer that with confidence, but the subject of the Kyubi was still a touchy one within the Hidden Leaf.

 **Forest of Death**

Sai was honestly surprised when Naruto suddenly disappeared into thin air.

He had been watching the blond meditate for a couple of minutes within the forest. It was part of his job to observe the blond Jinchuriki. In keeping up with those duties, he had to follow Naruto almost everywhere when he had the time. Danzo wanted to know everything there was to know about the weapon.

There was the undeniable fact that the blond had returned to the village much stronger than anyone would have anticipated. Danzo hadn't thought it would be likely without his hand, but they were living this reality. In any case, his job what to discover the tricks of the blond Uzumaki before his master could decide on what to do.

There hasn't been much to look at since he started observing. It was still early days nevertheless. He was going to do missions with the Uzumaki. Naturally, he would see much of the blond's abilities then.

It was when he was having those thoughts that Naruto suddenly disappeared into thin air, leaving him blinking a couple of times. He hadn't known that the blond could move so fast and disappear without even leaving a trace of his presence. It shouldn't be surprising – it as an ability that Anbu used regularly.

Sai's senses picked up with his hair standing as Naruto suddenly appeared from behind him. The Ne operative jumped forward as he twisted around to face the blond. As he came to face the blond – Naruto as lunging towards him, right hand stretching towards his throat far faster than the rest of his body.

In the blink of an eye, the hand was gripping his throat. It felt as if he was gripped by an iron hand. When the two hit the ground, Naruto brought Sai much closer to him, staring at him with an expressionless mask.

Sai tried to get loose from the grip, but Naruto would not let go.

"I find this to be annoying. You mustn't do this or otherwise I will treat you like an enemy. Sure, you don't mean any harm, but if you keep this up, you will get on my nerves and I won't be held responsible for what happens next." As soon as Naruto finished those words, he let go of Sai.

Sai took a couple of steps backwards, with his hands on his throat. Once he was confident all was well, he looked up at Naruto with a blank mask on his face. "How about we test what you can really do?"

Since the blond knew that he was watching him, there was nothing to lose in requesting a sparring session with the blond. He would be killing all the stones and he would give his report to his master. If Naruto agreed, he wouldn't hold back, but fight with everything he has to see what the blond could really do.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Me fight you? Interesting but no." The blond said with a shake of his head.

"Again?" Sai asked. "What are you afraid of?"

The last time when he was being introduced to Team 7 he had tried attacking the blond but the Uzumaki hadn't responded to his attempt to start a sparring session. If his method had been wrong last time, this one had to be right but he was still being rejected. How was he going to get some results without actually engaging the blond in a battle?

"I fear myself; you, a pet of Danzo, I do not fear. Perhaps if you were coming with pure intensions, I wouldn't be against fighting you… but as long as you're not truthful to your purpose, I will not indulge you." Naruto responded calmly.

Life hadn't been too kind to him, but it has taught him many valuable lessons. Understanding humans was fundamental, and a core to unlocking the secrets to the hearts of men.

Jiraiya has agonized for many years in his quest for peace, but to get to that, you needed to understand people. The peace was for people and by people. To understand how such a world could be led to a peace, Naruto had dug deep into understanding people. The Kyubi was a huge help in sensing the emotions and intensions of people.

With this background, people like Sai could not really hide everything from him. He didn't know what the black haired wanted from him, but he understood that the Ne agent wasn't being sincere. His assumption wasn't simply based on the fact that Danzo was an evil bastard, it was based on what he felt when looking at Sai.

"You have certainly changed and this façade isn't the same you show when with your so-called friends." Sai stated calmly.

Before his friends, Naruto acted way too kindly and had smiles. not as big as before – well, from what Sai has been told and has heard, but still smiles nonetheless.

With him and when he was alone, an expressionless mask appeared on his face. If anything, it always looked as if the blond was thinking deep about something serious. Sai couldn't even begin to guess what it was that the blond was thinking about, but it was something deep.

He would have to report this to his master.

Naruto smiled; a bitter sad smile that threatened to kill off the mask he wore.

Of course, he had changed; he knew that better than anyone did. For someone who didn't know him to say it as if they have known him for a long time was something of a slap on the cheek.

The fact that he has grown was a welcome change; he was no longer that naïve brat who used to shout out every thought he had. Perhaps that was the only thing that gave him good dreams, but the rest of his thoughts that have come with growth and understanding people didn't make him sleep well at night.

He was afraid of what he was going to do. Not only that, his heart was wavering. Perhaps there was another way to go about things. However, he didn't have all the time in this world. Life was a fleeting thing; no one lived forever. If he just continued living as he would normally, what would he change?

Naruto wanted to leave something big for this world. He was the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. It wasn't that he had come to think that he was born for a purpose or to bring about change in this world. No, it wasn't anything like that; he has always been someone who went against the crappy notion of fate.

Everyone had a choice on how he or she lives his or her life; he made a choice and it would affect his future.

His choice may not be noble in the eyes on this world, but he hoped, and truly hoped with all the life in him, that he was truly right and his choice would bring the desired effect to the minds of men and how things work around in this world. It would leave him broken and shattered even in the afterlife to learn that he had been wrong.

He would so much as beg the devil to give him a second chance to live again and do things differently.

Looking back at Sai, Naruto shook his head to clear off his thoughts. "Can you leave me alone, Sai? I want to get back to my meditation."

Sai stared for a couple of seconds; it was a clear change from the blond, but he wasn't going to question. Staying here wasn't going to earn him any favours. It would be best if he didn't alienate himself with Naruto before they even get to start doing missions together. He would never get close and completing his other mission would be even difficult.

Watching Sai leave, Naruto sighed deeply with a large frown on his face before settling down once more. He wanted to meditate, but he could not get his concentration. It was difficult to calm the tension around his body and the raging thoughts at the back of his head. If anything, it was like there was a little insect singing a bad song in a very loud voice.

He couldn't swat it away because it was slippery.

The blond opened his eyes and stared into the space ahead of him; it was nothing but a deep forest that crept of an eerie silence and a fear inducing sense of danger, yet, Naruto wasn't afraid of it.

He had nearly faced death in this very Forest during the Chunin exams. Yes, that had been when he first met Orochimaru – but he had been dumb to know he was fighting against a Sannin. Well, it hadn't mattered anyway, the snake hadn't been after him but his Sasuke – for the Sharingan of course.

Thinking of the Uchiha, Naruto could only shake his head.

He had no doubt that Sasuke was fully aware that Orochimaru was after his body, but had still gone along with the snake because he had wanted power. His growth had scared the Uchiha and he thought he was being held back. A powerful sadist like Orochimaru could help him… perhaps that was true, but it all remained to be seen how things would end up.

At this stage, Naruto wasn't apprehensive about the Uchiha. Truth be told, the Uchiha was insignificant to the dream he was chasing. Being Hokage was a noble, but the quest for peace was even greater. It gave his life a massive purpose that he would surely fulfil, if he dealt with his doubts.

'I find it laughable that you can have a problem wearing this mask when all your life you have done nothing but wear a glowing mask that no one was able to see through.' The Kyubi said to Naruto from within its chambers.

Kurama was aware of what his host wanted to do. However, considering how enormous the task was, he really doubted that the blond would be able to pull it off with his current level. Naruto didn't have the kind of power needed for what he wanted to do. If he wanted to take on the whole world, he needed much more power than he currently had.

The Bijuu was sure that Naruto knew that he needed much more power than what he had. You had to reach the heights of men like Hashirama and Madara to be able to accomplish it. He didn't like Madara – and perhaps that was an understatement. Nonetheless, the man was still a powerful warrior.

Naruto had to reach that height in order to succeed. At his current level, he was just going to die young and as nothing more than a child of the Yondaime who lost his sanity. All the thoughts he has had would be for nothing and he would certainly resent himself over his failure.

It was no matter to Kurama, but he was still the blond's prisoner. He wasn't about to get himself degraded by mere humans and they still shared the same body. If the blond died, he would die. Even though it would only be temporary, he would still die…

The Kyubi then drew a thoughtful look on his face at the thought of the seal Naruto was using. Unless he was missing something, Minato had died and yet that part of him went along with the Yondaime Hokage. Did it mean that the same would apply for Naruto if he died? They were using the same seal. Naruto had to make changes to it for him to avoid the same fate as his other half.

The only problem to that was that the blond wasn't that of a master of the sealing art to fully dismantle the complex seal keeping him at bay. The only chance Naruto had was through weakening the seal. That was the best thing that Naruto could do at this stage.

Well, the blond would have to take some time off for training if he was serious about his agenda. Then, he could get to work on the seal. It was weakening with each usage and he was pushing more and more chakra out of the seal. Kurama would not be against getting the blond to follow a more rigorous plan of training that would see him with deep wounds. He would be there to heal the blond.

Naturally, that meant using his chakra.

'This is different; it fights with everything I stood for when growing up. Killing people has never been something I thought of… human life is fragile yet so precious. The thought of killing has repulsed me. Perhaps a bit ironic since my senseis have been killing people for a long time and yet, I have had no problem with them.

"I can say that their reasons have always been just, but that is just a way of justifying the action. Death is death, no matter what. When things get bad in this world, it's kill or be killed. But I don't want to live in such a world. I wanted a happy world. It is sad that I will never get to see though. I will be doing the very thing I have hated seeing, I must plunge this world into darkness, and betray the precious friends who have accepted me.

"Any normal person would have a difficult time in grasping this world thing, Kyubi. You don't have the same emotions as I do and you don't value humans as I do. Another irony in that…" Naruto said, but he didn't say anything further on it.

"I guess being human is what brought you back into the village. However, when the thought first came, you seemed confident of following it through. Perhaps seeing these people again has caused a change in your heart…" Kurama said. He was most concerned about seeing the seal become loose rather than Naruto's emotional struggles.

It didn't kill him to be 'nice' and encourage the blond to go on his killing spree.

Perhaps he was trying to banish the thought that he had become a little familiar with the blond since his near escape from the seal when that perverted Sannin loosened the seal.

Kurama would always curse himself for enjoying himself too much with the Sannin that he ended up being sealed once more without escaping. Naruto had been 'willing' in letting him take the body.

In any case, the blond had come to with a miserable look on his face and yet, he didn't throw a fit at him or blame him for the near death of his sensei. It was true that the experience changed the blond, but Kurama had expected the blond to come out guns blazing with hate, but there had been none of that.

Kurama had been surprised.

But he should have expected it. It was something typical of the naïve brat he had known. Naruto didn't have much capacity to hate. Even when that Uchiha nearly killed him and he had to supply with blond with chakra just to heal wounds that would have killed him, the blond still didn't hate the Uchiha. He may not care as much as he used to, but he didn't hate the Uchiha not even a little.

There was also no resentment towards him for everything. Kurama was still curious about how the blond would react when he does find out that he had killed both his parents trying to escape the sealing that now sees him inside the blond.

"Not just being human but kindness." Naruto paused for a long minute before speaking. "I must throw it all away. I don't know if it will be possible to throw the kindness away, but if I don't, this journey will break me."

"Well, I wouldn't mind if that happened." Kurama stated. "You lose it; I will end up getting out a bit more often than being locked up in this cell."

Naruto smiled, "You're not going to stop being honest about your attempt to flee from the scene, are you?"

"Why should I?"

Naruto shook his head. "That is something you desire and something I won't give to you; this is a sin that I must commit because I need your power. It is important for my survival. If I cannot survive, then all the agonizing thoughts I have heard until now would have been for nothing. It is important that I survive. No matter how painful it will be for me, I must bear it all.

"Not long ago, I was fighting for appreciation from this village which has snubbed my existence. But it was that experience that led me to conclude that regardless of the reason, when people have something in common to work towards, they really do stick with each other in unity. These people were united in their hatred for me and fear of you.

"Soon, they will resent me once more and it will be deserved. That will wound me but I must still survive. The only thing that will likely kill me before anything will be my emotional state. If I cannot control what I feel, I will not survive, but I'm sure you will be happy: an insane host will make it easy for you to break free from your shackles."

The effort he had put in trying to become the kind of person that the villagers would recognize hadn't been for naught, even though he was going to play a different kind of game this time around. It had been his desire, perhaps born out of loneliness and being ignored, but it had been something he wished for with all his heart.

If he didn't listen to Jiraiya's rambles after that incident, things may have happened. He may have returned a naïve idiot who fought to build friendships; be recognized to become the greatest Hokage in history.

For now, that was something of a lost dream. He still had the desire in him, but it would not materialize. He was following another route; one filled of pain and grief. It wouldn't be anything knew to his life. He was familiar with feelings as those. The childhood he had hadn't been one full of roses and smiles.

Even so, Naruto was going to continue with all those emotions and much more. Perhaps this time around, things will be different because this was his choice, even if he was wavering.

"There is no need for me to be dishonest about anything when I know that you're likely to find out about it anyway. You're not stupid as you were back then. I'm not saying you're smart, just not stupid." Kurama said. "If you're serious, you should leave this village as soon as you can because the more you stay around, the more attached to it you become to it. Leaving it will not be easy. You may end up not even doing anything."

Naruto stared into the sky for a couple of moments as he thought of something Haku said; it was when one had something precious to protect that they became much stronger. Not the exact words, but it went along those lines. What was precious to him? Was it friends or the ideal that he would bloody his hands in zeal for it to become a reality?

The Uzumaki shook his head as the only picture that came to mind was that one of the friends he treasured. Perhaps this was why he was calling this a betrayal of his friends… more specifically, his feelings.

 **Foundation Hideout**

Sai was kneeling before his master, ready to deliver his report.

Danzo standing along a passage within a dark place of the hideout. He had been on his way to attend some other business with some people before Sai came long. He assumed it had something to do with the Uzumaki since that was his primary mission.

Still, he wasn't expecting a report into the matter this time around. They had to first go on a mission and given Sai's difficulty playing the part like those emotional shinobi out in the village, he had expected things to be difficult.

Even with that difficulty, he didn't expect things to fail. Failure wasn't an option for his people.

"What is it?"

"Naruto is different from what we know, Danzo-sama. He is like a completely different person from the notes I received about his character." Sai said in a firm tone just to emphasise his point. The notes he had studied were proving to be useless because nothing in them compared to the Uzumaki he had to deal with.

Danzo raised a ghost eyebrow.

He wasn't surprised, just curious. The blond person who was famous for being an idiot and loud mouth brat had grown. The former Uzumaki was nothing more than a waste of the Kyubi's chakra.

He was a Jinchuriki, yet, he could not control the power under his command. Not to mention he was pathetic for a Jinchuriki. There was no doubt in Danzo's mind that in that level, Naruto wouldn't have stood a chance against any other Jinchuriki.

He would not take into account the fact that the blond did manage to defeat a fully transformed tailed beast along with the help the Toads. The Jinchuriki of Shukaku was a different matter.

Danzo was still willing to give the blond some credit for his efforts nonetheless. The result had surprised even him, even though no one refused to believe it. His people had seen it, so had Anbu.

Getting back on the subject at hand, Danzo spoke to Sai. "What is it that you have learned?"

"Not much about his abilities, but he is powerful and not stupid. He won't just jump into a fight. I have tried to provoke him into a fight twice but he has rejected those advances. I still don't know anything about his strength as a Jinchuriki – that is something he never talks about." Sai said. "If you were to meet him, you'd perhaps be able to see some things that I am not able to see. He knows that I am from you and doesn't seem to hold that lightly."

Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly. The blond had been training with Jiraiya. The Sannin was knowledgeable. If Jiraiya felt that Naruto was ready, he would have told him most things he knew about the Hidden Leaf. Part of taking in an apprentice was sharing with them the wealth of knowledge you possessed.

He wasn't going to do something as to meet the blond at this stage. Tsunade wasn't as 'movable' as the Sandaime. She had her moments of playing things hard even though she was like her sensei. Her temper made her a bit uncontrollable and it would be difficult to calculate the risks involved if she found out that he was meeting Naruto – the person she seems to hold dear more than anyone else in this village.

"I will send someone else to confirm what you have said and then decide which action to take. Continue with your observations in the meantime."

"Hai."

 **A couple of days later**

 **Hokage Office**

Tsunade didn't have the same smile as she had when Naruto returned to the village. There was no love for the blond that had suddenly decided to pack its bags and leave her heart; she still loved the brat who brought her back to this village. Perhaps it was out of concern for his mentality that she was sitting in this office, staring at him with a long expression on her face.

Aside from doing some chores as missions, Naruto's presence in the village was never felt by anyone. Even some of his friends mentioned that they only time they got to see to see him was when he was having is lunch at Icharaku ramen. that was the only place he made regular appearances at.

With Kakashi out of the village, she didn't want to take Team 7 out for a mission because of these new changes in Naruto. Yamato didn't know Naruto as much as Kakashi did. When the blond was being like this, he needed a leader who understood him better than someone who would react instinctively to things that would not trouble anyone.

If a situation came to that, it would cause some troubles.

Aside from that, Tsunade was worried; this wasn't the same Naruto that she knew. She had been struggling to grasp it when he returned and even when Jiraiya said that he had changed. She had thought that once he spent a couple of days with his friend, he would be all right, but there was no change. If anything, things were getting worse.

Naruto had been meeting with his friends back then, but now he was no longer doing so. They only time they could talk to him was when he was having his lunch at Icharaku ramen. Sakura saw him for morning Team 7 excises but that was that. Any invitations for doing something were humbly rejected.

"I'm sorry for calling you out like this on your day off…" Tsunade said…

Naruto shook his head. "I was actually just chilling at the hot springs listening to the sound of steaming water. I don't know, ever since Jiraiya-sensei showed them to me, I have come to enjoy how relaxing they are. Of course I like it better when it is just me alone…"

"Given that you're his student… I thought you'd be more than willing to have time out in them with girls or just peep like him."

Naruto smiled. "Don't compare me to that pervert." He said in a light tone. "I may be his student, but I don't have his tastes."

"Yeah…" Tsunade said with a snort. "Says the brat you invented a perverted jutsu."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the thought of his jutsu. "That jutsu has worked wonders, ya know… I mean, it worked against the old man and many other shinobi."

Tsunade shook her head as she responded in a very strong tone. "That was because the Sandaime was a pervert. Whilst he was graceful about it, Jiraiya doesn't hide it." She said. "In any case, it is good to see you smiling. You hardly smile these days."

Naruto wasn't going to tell Tsunade that there was just a lot for him to think about because he knew she would come back with so many questions that he would not want to answer. Knowing the woman, she would insist, and perhaps even use the threat of violence as a way to get him to talk.

"I have my moments." Naruto said in a calm tone. "But you need not worry about me. I'm just one of the many that you must look after in this village. Besides, if Jiraiya-sensei was here, he'd tell you not to worry about a damn thing."

Tsunade couldn't disagree with that; the Sannin never seemed to worry about Naruto, well at least to in front of her. In any case, he had told her not to worry. Even though Naruto has changed, there was nothing to worry about. "Did he tell you when he will return?"

Naruto shook his head. "During the last year of our training trip, he'd disappear for weeks. It was mostly keeping in track with his spy network. Well, he also doesn't like staying at one place." Naruto said. "He is more concerned about the Akatsuki. For some reason, he hasn't been forthcoming about details when it comes to them. But knowing him, he could be laughing madly in the company of some ladies boasting about his greatness."

Tsunade blinked as the thought of a grinning Jiraiya appeared in her mind. The woman shook her head, muttering. "That damn pervert." After a couple of moments of silence, Tsunade spoke once more. "Well, I'm glad that you've grown though. At this stage, I won't have to worry much with you succeeding me…" She said with a large smile.

Naruto appeared genuinely happy to hear that, Tsunade could tell, but there seemed to be some disappointment in his eyes… no, it was great sadness. Tsunade could not tell what brought it up. Perhaps she wasn't even seeing it right.

"And when I said I would become Hokage one day people thought it would never happen!" The blond said happily. "If you dream big and make the effort, you will succeed. Still, who could have thought that an orphan, someone who was ignored by the villagers could be considered for succeeding you, ba-chan?"

Tsunade took great care to hold her mask when Naruto said those words. It was not out of sadness over the childhood Naruto had, but the thought that Naruto still didn't know about his parents. Jiraiya said since Naruto didn't ask, he hadn't brought it up. He had focused on giving the blond better training and getting him to experience life in fullness.

The Godaime didn't want to go into a path where she would end up discussing that kind of a subject, so she decided to drift off from that subject.

While I am happy that you're still smiling, I'm not happy that you have been keeping to yourself." Tsunade said in a serious tone, eyes staring intently at the blond. "Do you want to tell me what is going on, Naruto? If there is a problem, I'm sure I can help you. You have people you can talk to; you have friends."

Naruto had been hoping she would forget about this and just focus on other things. He would be more than willing to talk about the prospect of him becoming Hokage, even though he knew that the time for that would not come. Well, if he decided to quit his ways, he could try to win the villagers approval for the succession battle.

It wasn't impossible to get the villagers to behave before him; it needed a little more of effort from him and the passion. He had seen it before. At the Chunin exams finals, they had applauded his victory over Neji. If he was able to do impressive things, they were willing to recognise it.

Despite those thoughts, Naruto wasn't thinking of quitting. It was appealing. Everything he had desired before he left the village and the dream was within the realm of possibilities. Well, at least he could be happy knowing that his dream wasn't something that he couldn't have achieved, but it was something very possible.

"There are no problems that need friends, ba-chan. I have friends; I don't need to be reminded of that. Besides, when have I been the one to bottle things?" Naruto asked with a smile, head tilted to the side.

Tsunade shook her head, remembering the blond of the old; the loud-mouthed brat who had caused her many headaches since they grew acquainted. But this was a different Naruto who was well mannered and didn't give her any of those troubling migraines. He didn't cause anyone problems and if Jiraiya was to be believed, the blond was capable of protecting himself.

Even so, she could not help but worry.

"You're like my child, you know. I get worried when my instincts tell me something is wrong." Tsunade said in quiet tone.

Naruto smiled. "I've always wanted someone to care for me and love me. It greatly pleases me knowing that someone as you cares for me."

But it also greatly hurt him knowing that he would have to betray these people who care for him. Even though he was smiling 'happily' Naruto was full of tears in the inside. Perhaps the Kyubi was right, he shouldn't have come back to this village because this was making things difficult for him. It was not the second thought, but the pain that followed the first thought.

"I'm happy to know that you care." Naruto said once more. "I'm going to the Forest of Death to release my thoughts. There might be some noise, please don't mind it."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. She wanted to observe something like that. The request was curious, but she wanted to see what he would be doing exactly that could make so much noise that she would need to worry about things. Naruto didn't really show of his abilities, so when he would be showing them, she would really get to know what Jiraiya meant by saying that the blond could protect himself against enemies.

"What exactly are you going to be doing that will make noise?"

Naruto smiled innocently. "Some things…" he said.

Tsunade shook her head. She couldn't go there by herself, but she would send someone over to watch the blond

 **Training Ground 44**

The forest did have its frightening moments, but it wasn't anything that scared the adults away. There were some dangerous animals that could take on a genin and butcher him to death, but for someone like him who has experienced battles, he would have slipped up for an animal to get the jump on him.

The forest was nevertheless a good place to train.

Naruto was standing in the middle of trees, Sage mode already activated. He could not last forever in this mode, but there was a way through clones of making him go longer. There were no risks involved in the process even.

Senjutsu was good for the body and mind, only if you knew how to use it. Other people who tried to absorb this chakra for their use would turn into frogs.

One thing he enjoyed about senjutsu was the heightened senses. Even now, he could sense the chakra signatures of those people watching him. He didn't need to count them because at this stage, he just wanted to test his limits and work on his endurance when using Sage Mode.

After stretching his muscles, Naruto held out his right hand. On the palm of his hand, a Rasengan began to form. The jutsu quickly took shape within a couple of seconds. It was when that it started taking another form. Four wind blades stretched out of the jutsu and began to spun around the Rasengan. This created a different jutsu that made a screeching noise. It wasn't just the noise that made it seem dangerous, but the amount of power oozing from it as well.

Once his jutsu was formed, Naruto held it carefully and searched for a target; on his left, there were a couple of trees bundled together. Without any thought running through his head, Naruto took a single step towards the trees and then another before hurling the powerful jutsu towards the trees.

The blond spun in air at blinding speed as he marched towards the trees, wind blowing along its direction. It didn't take long for the jutsu to hit the trees. Once the jutsu collided with the trees, it exploded into a powerful explosion that created a large dome of powerful wind gusts that tore through the trees caught within the explosion. The trees caught within were shredded into pieces by the rotating blades.

Naruto didn't need to cover himself from the gusts of wind along with the debris that was flying all over.

The blond Uzumaki created a clone before jumping away from the Kage Bunshin. Whilst still in air, Naruto twisted around to face the clone. He held out his right hand with his eyes firmly on the clone. A Rasengan began to form on the palm of his hand, but it wasn't the normal jutsu – this one was massive in size and yet Naruto still held it gracefully as gravity pulled him down.

The moment both his feet touched the ground, he once again took off like a bullet, lunging toward the clone his eyes were carefully watching. When Naruto reached the clone, he attempted to slam the massive Rasengan into the clone, but it did a quick jump to avoid him and Naruto slammed the jutsu onto the ground, causing a large explosion that tore through the ground, creating a large crater.

Whilst still in mid-air, the clone held a hand seal, facing Naruto. " **Futon: Shinkugyoku!"** The clone exhaled several air bullet like wind chakra towards Naruto in high speed. The jutsu was travelling at such a speed that it would make it almost impossible for one to dodge them all.

Seeing the incoming attack, Naruto was quick respond. His speed may have increased because Senjutsu, but the clone was still using the same chakra as him. A mistake could see him with a couple of holes in his body.

The blond held out his right hand. " **Sage Art: Wind Reflector!"** Naruto exhaled dense wind chakra from his mouth. the Wind quickly took the form of large shield in front of him. It formed within seconds, and was partly visible even to the naked eye because it wasn't pure wind but wind chakra.

When the jutsu released by the clone collided with his shield, the jutsu bounced back to the clone, double the speed. Taking into the account that the original jutsu was already difficult to dodge without being hit, a reflection of it with double the speed, made it impossible for the clone to dodge. It hadn't even seen anything when the bullets drilled through its body before it turned into a puff of smoke.

Sensing chakra movement, Naruto twisted around to see what was attacking him. He didn't have a problem with the people attacking him at this moment because he could use someone who could be the object to take out his frustrations.

A large black and white tiger was in mid-air, lunging towards him with its teeth bared and paws ready to slash across his face. Naruto's mask didn't change as he raised his right hand toward the tiger. He waited until it got closer. When it was just inches away from his hand, he flicked his index finger, muttering a few words.

The tiger exploded into blank ink a second later.

Naruto raised an eyebrow when the ink started falling on him; it started spreading as if it were alive. It was then that he recognized a formula within the ink. He might not be a sealing master, but he had enough experience with seals to recognize a sealing technique when he saw it.

The blond looked up when Danzo flashed into view along with his agents, Sai along with him.

"Are you sure the seals will hold, Sai?" Danzo asked calmly as he watched the still Naruto.

"Yes; it should seal off the Kyubi's chakra as well as his chakra."

"Good." Danzo said, but didn't say a word to Naruto as he removed the bandages around his forehead, revealing a Sharingan on his right eye. "Uzumaki Naruto, you shall become my weapon from today, henceforth."

 **End of chapter**

 **The tone was completely different from the last chapter, but we must not forget what Naruto intends to do. I wanted to do a couple of chapters within the Leaf, but I haven't been able to work around the issue.**

 **There will be some things that will contradict A God Amongst Men. I have tried to make things a said n GAM, but it hasn't been coming out. So expect those contradictions.**

 **Since I'm done with Legend and MK coming close to an end, I should update this one a bit regularly.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Naruto didn't have any experiences with Danzo, but Jiraiya had warned him when he was telling him about the dark side of Konoha. The Sannin hadn't been wrong to warn him of the war hawk. Sai had been brought into Team 7 in order to spy on him and now that the teen has done so and brought some valuable information, the man was trying to make him his weapon?

It was ridiculous. He had much to achieve in this world to be turned into a mere weapon of Danzo. The man was up to no good and Naruto wasn't going to allow himself to be used like that. He had his dreams and this man would not stand in the way, no matter what.

'Naruto, if you're not going to kill him, we need to get out of here. I'm getting a bad vibe about this…' He could never mistake the Sharingan's intent to cast genjutsu on him. He had been in the same situation not once but twice and he would not be manipulated by those cursed eyes the third time.

He was even willing to pump chakra worth six tails for Naruto's usage just for him to wreck Danzo. He would not forgive those cursed eyes, or as Madara put it simply – blessed eyes. If Naruto was controlled, he would also fall in the same shoes. This time around, he was going to avoid it because this time around, he could do something about it.

'I'm getting that feeling as well.' Naruto responded calmly.

He had trained hard enough to sense malicious feeling. Besides, some battles were not determined by firepower alone, but some surprises could tip the scales. Naruto may perhaps have the most explosive firepower than anyone in the Hidden Leaf because of his hosting of the Kyubi but that didn't make him the most powerful shinobi.

He was miles off from being the most powerful and even those not Jinchurikis could still make fun of him in battle. Experience counted. He didn't have much of it but he would still have to do more hazardous training to obtain a level of power that would it practical for him to step into the shadows.

Naruto turned his focus on the old man. "Who could have thought that you had the Sharingan… In any case, I don't know much but I will not become your weapon."

He held out his right hand, summoning a long silver sword. The blond blurred out of sight within a blink of an eye. His movements had been both shocking and fast because they hadn't expected him to be able to move with Sai's seal activated and the speed hadn't been anything they were expecting.

Naruto appeared in front of Danzo, his sword speeding through the air, heading straight towards the Sharingan the man had exposed. The War Hawk's expression did not change, but he was sweating in the inside because that wasn't something that he could dodge if he allowed it to hit him. No, it wasn't that he would have allowed it, there was just nothing he could do.

The movement had just been ridiculously fast that even though he still had the Sharingan to predict movements, he couldn't move his body.

At least he believed that his precious agents would come to his rescue. They would use their bodies to protect him. he was their master and the one with the plans after all. Because of this belief, Danzo didn't waver, not even for a second, even though he was sweating.

A Ne agent flashed between Naruto and Danzo, his back facing the blond. Naruto's sword was headed straight towards the back of his head. Within a second, the sword cut through his head as if it was piercing cutting through flesh. The sword cut in the blink of any eye and a second later, the top half of the man's head rolled over to the side.

Naruto didn't look too much into the blood that followed shortly. He wanted to move towards Danzo but halted for a moment as he sensed the other agents making moves towards him.

Within a second, the agents that were around Danzo had surrounded the blond.

This wasn't that tricky because of his Sage mode. He could trample upon a couple of Ne agents without any troubles. His halting was simply because he had no desire to bring about a slaughter at this moment. There was no need to rehearse the bloody scenes he was going to leave on his trail once he decides to leave the village. He needed time to settle things and not rush into things.

'Why not go through it? You're still not familiar with the smell of blood, and this will be good to test your resolve. The Hidden Leaf's reaction to a massacre would certainly be interesting.'

Naruto ignored the Kyubi and brought his sword from the sides. He didn't look at the blood dripping, but it wasn't because he didn't care, just that he didn't want to look.

It was surprising that none of these people seemed to care about the loss of their comrade. Was this how things went normally? A person just died and no one had reacted to it. By their looks, they didn't seem to care. The old rule that the mission comes first before saving comrades.

His sentimental sensei had moved him away from such a thought even though following the 'rules' of shinobi was important. It had taught him a lot but he was going to abandon those comrades. It would be no different than what he was doing.

"How are you able to move?" Danzo asked calmly. His dead agent didn't bother him – he was just another weapon that had served its purpose. He was alive because of the tool, it should have died with a smile knowing that it had done something good in its life.

"Because I'm not using my chakra or the Kyubi's chakra. Who told you that such a worthless piece of seal could hold me back?" Naruto asked. "You seem to be under the impression that I did not sense your intent long ago. Sai should have told you in his report that I am able to sense the emotions… but I guess you have not been told. Don't you think that if I sensed your intent I wouldn't do anything to protect myself?"

Sai frowned in the inside because he knew that the blond was stating a fact. An important fact that he didn't disclose to Danzo. He should have known better when the blond didn't do anything when he attacked. They were attacking now, so naturally, he would fight back.

Danzo narrowed his eyes but the blond still didn't frighten him. Without the use of the Kyubi's chakra, there was no way that he could escape this situation. He was confident of this. Still, the main idea wasn't to win a fight here. There was something much more sinister.

"You don't seem to be in a position to do anything." Danzo stated calmly.

"That is what you think…" Naruto said. The moment he said those words, two clones, in Sage mode crash landed on the sides; it was a crash land because when they slammed into the ground, and it was shattered with a small amount of debris flying around their feet as they straightened up.

A second lapse of concentration from one of the agents when one of the clones made a movement towards Danzo, Naruto twisted around in a flash. His speed enhanced by senjutsu was truly frightening, but still not the Yellow Flash. Even so, he could not be compared to normal means of speed in this mode.

As he twisted, Naruto lifted his sword, weaving it through the air horizontally. The sword travelled in blinding speed that didn't even slow down when it cut through the neck of the Ne in its path. The man didn't even notice anything before his head started falling down the ground.

Naruto jumped away from the Ne, still holding his sword firmly. It was already two down, but was he going to have a go at this? This man wanted something from him and he was hiding something sinister behind those bandages. It was something wasn't it? He had just returned and already another human was planning to do something to him. The desire was certainly not to kill him but something else… was it manipulation. It could be, especially with such a man standing before him.

Kurama had said something interesting about the Hidden Leaf's reaction if he ended up killing everyone here. Perhaps Tsunade would back him but he did not know much about how the others thought of him. But if it was the Danzo squad, they would certainly fight for him to face some sort of punishment. Well, Tsunade would have the final say in everything.

Whilst the blond was still lost in his thoughts, the Foundation Anbu surrounded him once more once his clones dispersed having served their purpose of distraction.

Naruto cleared his thoughts and turned his attention on his surroundings: people who did not have good intentions towards him surrounded him. The motive may not be to kill him but it was certainly not going to be good for him and it didn't mean they would not break a couple of his bones if he resisted the charge.

It was already two down and he had taken them down so easily. Of course, there was still a fight he had to fight – this was just the beginning. Although, he had already taken two down, the others didn't appear to be unnerved by this. Their body language spelled indifference.

Naruto put away his blade and faced one of the agents but spoke to Danzo. "What are you really after, Danzo? You say weapon, but there seems to be another hidden agenda..." The blond asked in a calm tone, barely audible. There was no anger in his tone, just curiosity. "I heard you tried to turn me into a weapon when I was still younger, but I don't think I have ever done anything… then again, I did nothing to the Hidden Leaf to warrant their hatred towards me."

A sad story that was but it was all in the past. He could not forget it, but it was something that he could not go about thinking too deeply about.

"Fishing for information?" Danzo said with narrowed eyes. "Are you giving up the fight?"

Naruto shook his head twice, a somewhat sad and bitter mask slipped into his face as he did so. The blond closed his eyes for a moment before holding out both his hands. When his eyes opened, they were sharp and appeared to have a raging storm behind them.

His enemies sensed chakra and moved quickly; two jumped away along with Danzo and two more cut the distanced between them and him; it was just a single step that took them on his left and right sides. Their swords cutting through the air in blinding speed, aimed at both his shoulders.

Naruto could see the attacks coming from a distance; he enjoyed the benefits of senjutsu in such situations because his senses were truly heightened. Perhaps this was what one could call the ultimate fighting mode. Yes, this mode could cause much destruction on the landscape, especially when used by someone with an obsession for destruction.

Before the swords could cut him, Naruto's hands moved quickly, each heading towards the incoming strikes. He did something that surprised the emotionless robots: he caught both swords. There was not even a drip of blood from the palm of his hands. He followed this by snapping the swords, forcing the Ne Anbu to jump away to regroup.

Naruto blurred away towards his right. Before the Anbu could even land on the ground, Naruto was already upon him; the blond drove his right punch towards the man's head. The Anbu folded both his hands just above his head in an effort to block the punch. Even though he had been taught pain, he could not help but to bite his teeth when Naruto's punch crashed into his defence. If anything, it felt as if a hammer had slammed onto him. The punch carried a brutal force that propelled his body backwards uncontrollably and he ended up slamming into a tree's trunk with his back.

Another Ne operative flashed behind Naruto; he had a right foot swinging dangerously towards the back of the blond's head. Naruto saw it coming and ducked under, dropping down the ground on his knees before facing up.

" **Katon: Great Fireball no jutsu!"** The blond released intense flames from his mouth. The flames were supplemented by the power of the Kyubi to make them much more powerful than a normal fireball. The jutsu flew towards the Ne but the man quickly did a replacement jutsu, replacing himself with a log. The flames consumed the log entirely leaving only ashes.

Naruto stood up slowly; he wasn't sensing any attacks coming his way. He turned around to face his enemies; they were all surrounding Danzo. The blond became curious looking at them. The war hawk had the right side of his face bandaged, hiding the Sharingan.

His curiosity grew deeper when the Ne suddenly disappeared without a trace. When he tried following their chakra, he sensed powerful chakra signatures coming this way. He could not tell if it were Tsunade's Anbu or more of Danzo's forces. Either way, he did not have much time to think about it as Danzo suddenly burst toward him.

Although he appeared to be a cripple, he moved rather well. Even so, Naruto still caught the man by his throat the moment he reached him. The blond lifted the man with his hold making it difficult to for him to breath.

"Something is very wrong in this picture," Naruto said in a dangerously low tone. Yes, he could not deny that there was an uncomfortable feeling creeping through his spine.

Before the man could say anything, more guests arrived at the scene. "Uzumaki Naruto, what are you doing?" A powerful voice demanded.

Naruto dropped Danzo and looked at the trees; Konoha's Anbu. Was this Danzo's angle? There were two bodies lying beside him, dead by his hand. Had this man set him up? Even so, Tsunade wouldn't believe this scum over him, would she? No, she would not. Then why go this far?

"We asked you a question, Uzumaki."

Yes, Danzo was a corrupt old geezer but those were just his thoughts. In the eyes of many, Danzo was a respectable elder of the Hidden Leaf. It would certainly paint a crippling image about him if it was said that he attacked the man. But that couldn't be Danzo's angle, could it? What would he gain by doing something like that?

Naruto looked down at Danzo with narrowed eyes instead of answering the question. "Was this your plan?"

Danzo acted as if he didn't hear anything and got up from the ground. "My bodyguards are dead, he killed them. I don't know for what reason, but he also wanted to kill me." The war hawk stated with a straight face. He walked over to Naruto before he whispered. "Tsunade may back you but there will always be a doubt regarding your actions the moment its something that sounds bad. You're the Jinchuriki of the Bijuu that nearly destroyed the Hidden Leaf that shadow will always hover over you." The man said before turning to address the Anbu. "Take him away."

The Anbu didn't act immediately. The reason was simple, Danzo had no authority to order them around. They followed the orders of their commander and the Hokage. This man was an elder but he had no authority to order them. If it was Shikaku, it would be a different story.

They nevertheless had to take Naruto away. Protocol was protocol. Strictly speaking, they had to give Danzo the benefit of the doubt. Of course, they weren't taking Danzo's word as it was. They were Anbu; they would get to their own conclusions. Protocol however, required that they take the blond away. There would not be a need, but since he was treated as a flight risk, he needed to taken away.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you will come with us." The Anbu said as they walked towards the blond Jinchuriki. "You will have to come with us to the Hokage tower, Danzo-sama." Danzo was still an elder, so unless the Hokage gave a clear order, they could not do anything to him.

Neither Danzo nor Naruto resisted. However, as Naruto was taken to Anbu cells, Danzo was taken to see Tsunade.

It took just disappearing from the forest of death to Naruto appearing in front of cell. They didn't waste time in sealing his chakra. Naruto still did not resist when they sealed his chakra with seals designed for a Jinchuriki. He was put in a locked cell before they disappeared away.

Naruto looked around the gloomy cell for a moment before shaking his head; he walked over to the wall facing him and settled down in a meditative posture with his face facing the bars ahead.

'Well I didn't expect things to end up this way.' Kurama said calmly. He wasn't the least concerned that the blond had his chakra sealed. What surprised him was that from being attacked, they now ended up in a chamber of horrors, for humans at least.

Perhaps they wouldn't be in this situation if Naruto had been a little smarter. Nothing would come out of reminding the blond that except for amusing himself.

'Jiraiya did warn me against the man. It is unexpected, but I had been warned that he was dangerous.' Naruto responded calmly. 'I guess the ball is in Tsunade's hands now.'

'You think that woman will release you?'

Naruto nodded. 'She knows me well enough and if Jiraiya was true, she wouldn't believe anything Danzo says about me.'

'Do you trust her that much?' Naruto nodded. 'Do not be disappointed when she doesn't. You of all people should know humans could never be trusted. When they start thinking twice, they will stab you in the back. We are even in this situation because of humanity's greed and treachery. That man wants my power. I can tell.'

'I'm not deeply concerned about the treachery' Naruto said with a shrug. 'What worries me is how is this going to work for him. If he did his research he should know that Tsunade would back me up at any day, so why do it? Is he planning something else?'

'You'll know soon enough.' Kurama said before closing his eyes.

 **Meanwhile, Hokage's Office**

Tsunade had a murderous glare on her face as she stared at Danzo. The Anbu had told her what they had seen and what the elder had said to them. Naruto hadn't responded to their question nor had he denied anything when Danzo said he was attacked.

The Godaime dismissed the Anbu.

She really wished that Jiraiya was present in the village but her former teammate had left and if she doesn't send him a message, he wasn't likely to come back soon. He needed to be back in the village for Naruto's sake. This was a bad thing for Naruto, especially with his history.

She hadn't thought that Danzo would make a move on Naruto in this fashion though. She had hoped that nothing bad would happen, but who was she kidding? Nothing ever went according to plan in this world. Things were always moving in another way, nothing ever going according to plan.

At the moment, she just wanted to pummel the man down the ground and perhaps send him over to the other world. He was a relic of the past that shouldn't be living at this time and age.

Yet, Tsunade had to hold her rage down before doing something reckless. If she did so, it would only add fuel into the fire and that would definitely go back to haunt Naruto.

"why couldn't you just leave Naruto alone? He just returned and the villagers were not looking at him in the same way as they did before he left…" Tsunade was remarkably calm.

"Why couldn't I leave him alone? What are you talking about, Tsunade? Your Jinchuriki attacked me when I went to greet him. He killed two of my men and had it not been for the Anbu showing up, he would have killed me as well."

Tsunade snapped; her fist slammed onto her desk nearly shattering it. Her killing intent rose dramatically yet, Danzo remained unnerved.

"Enough with your nonsense Danzo!" She shouted angrily. "Anbu! Get me Inoichi!"

It took about two minutes for Inoichi to be brought before the Godaime. The Yamanaka didn't get to even say the first words as the Godaime went on with the order the moment he appeared.

"Danzo has accused Naruto of trying to kill him; take him away and prove what he is saying. Just to make sure that nothing gets out of hand, I want the village secured!"

Inoichi looked surprised with the command he was being given. To him, it was the same as being given the order to search the minds of his fellow clan hands.

"I'm fine with it." Danzo said as calmly.

The moment the war hawk said those words, Tsunade's anger disappeared. Had she been stupid and blind, she would not noticed that something was vey wrong in the picture. The fact that Danzo was willing to allow Inoichi to get into his head was seriously troubling. It spelled danger and for a moment she thought of allowing the man to walk free but her curiosity got the best of her.

"Take him away, Inoichi. I want a response as soon as possible." Tsunade said.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Inoichi managed some resolve before accompanying Danzo to the torture and intel division.

Once they were gone, Tsunade settled in tense silence trying to understand the situation. If Danzo was going willingly, there was no option of his Root Ne trying something funny. Even so, this was a serious problem in itself. She really needed Jiraiya in case something bad happens.

What if Inoichi finds information that incriminates Naruto? Would she willingly disregard that and execute Danzo instead? In any case, she just needed to ensure that this stayed a secret that would only be known to Anbu. Yes, an S-rank secret, that would protect Naruto against anything Danzo might have planned.

She could just order Inoichi to seal the report and free both Danzo and Naruto.

 **Later, Anbu cells**

Naruto's eyes opened slightly as he sensed a presence before the cell. The infamous Ibiki was standing before his cell. He could remember the man from the Chunin exams, but aside from that, the man was known for his torturing skills. Fearsome skills he could say.

Pain wasn't something that Naruto feared. He had experienced enough of it. Bodily harm was nothing, emotional pain was the one had to fear. Even so, Naruto didn't think that things would go that far.

"If it isn't the gutful brat from the Chunin exams." Ibiki said with a smile. "You have certainly changed and I never thought I'd end up seeing someone like you here."

Naruto looked at the moment for a moment before responding. "This is a place for criminals and the rogue shinobi you catch along the streets of the Leaf trying to poke their noses on things they shouldn't. I've been a better person. So, I can say even I didn't think I'd end up in this place. But you cannot predict anything in this world."

Ibiki nodded. He unlocked the cell and commanded the blond to come out. "Then I hope you will be cooperative. I'd hate to take extreme measures against Leaf shinobi."

Naruto eyed the man for a second as they walled through dark passages heading towards an interrogation room. "I doubt you'd go that far."

Something that was left unsaid made Ibiki curious. "Oh? Why do you think so?"

"A couple of scenarios." Naruto responded without giving a definite answer.

Kurama would definitely not allow something like that to happen. The seals that were supressing his chakra were likely to be shattered and the Bijuu would go on a rampage. Perhaps just to force him to move out of the Hidden Leaf. It wasn't that Naruto hasn't noted that the Bijuu was being pushy regarding him leaving Konoha in pursuit of dreams. Naruto wasn't in a hurry to leave, he had the time to do what he wanted. He could even still try to enjoy his youth anyway.

But that wasn't something he would do. If he tried that, he would end up living just normal and the dream would remain as it is… a dream.

That was something else though. For now, there was this situation that he was facing. He had taken much time to think about it and it didn't appear as if things were going to turn out perfectly for him. He hasn't even seen Tsunade before him; the woman has not said anything nor has she bothered appearing before him. Not for a moment did he think she just didn't know. He wasn't that naïve.

Well at least he was going to be questioned. Perhaps he would get to find out more about Danzo's angle in all these. The man had said he was going to make him his weapon, but that was something he hadn't been able to fully understand because he could not solve the how in the equation.

"I hope those aren't the responses you will be giving me." Ibiki said as he opened the door to the interrogation room.

Naruto entered quietly and sat himself on a small chair. Ibiki faced him with an expressionless mask on his face and a dose of killing intent for measure. For a moment, Naruto felt amused. Was this supposed to make him fearful of the man?

"Does something amuse you?" Ibiki asked in a hardened tone. He didn't like it when his subjects had that look before him. Then again, they only wore it now but when things got tough, they would be screaming and pissing on themselves whilst spilling the beans.

"No offence but you people were frightening back then." Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Your killing intent, it does nothing…" the man raised his intent to levels that would have made even a low Join uncomfortable yet Naruto didn't even twitch. "Even if you raise it to its limits, its not going to change anything. You're still just a human. I have been exposed to murderous intents of the Bijuu I host. Well, I don't need to tell you how frightening it is considering that you were very much active back then."

Mentioning the Kyubi was no means an attempt to make the man uncomfortable. The Bijuu was likely even to raise suspicions about him and his connection with the Bijuu. People would certainly become nervous if they knew he spoke to the Bijuu quite often. Nevertheless, Naruto wasn't going to keep from mentioning the Bijuu because some people couldn't accept it.

Ibiki had his eyes narrowed as he responded. "That is a night that not one is fond of… there were many people who died on that day."

"It was night that changed my fate… because I was used as a sacrifice to contain the Bijuu, I became a substitute to the villagers…" Naruto said before shaking his head. "I'm ready when you are, Ibiki-san." Naruto said with a small smile.

Ibiki nodded; they ought to begin with the interrogation. Talking about things that didn't matter in this case would not solve anything. Naruto was brought here for a reason. The Godaime Hokage had brought him here to conduct an investigation without knowing much what was happening with Danzo. He wasn't to know anything but just try to find out what happened by speaking with Naruto and draw a conclusion.

"I'm only going to ask you a couple of questions and I would appreciate it if you tell me the truth. The moment I realize you are lying to me, I will use other methods, do you understand what I mean by that?"

Naruto nodded. "Torture," He said.

"Good," Ibiki said with a smile. "Now, tell me what happened… Start from the beginning."

Naruto appeared thoughtful for a moment before responding. "I was home before being summoned to the Hokage office. The Godaime wanted to ask a couple of personal questions regarding my wellbeing. We talked and before I left, I told her that I was going to the forest of death to release my thoughts. I had informed her that it would be noisy. As I was busy with my training, Danzo appeared with a couple of more shinobi, along with my new teammate, Sai. The teammate attempted to bind me with a seal but I was using senjutsu, so I broke through those seals. Before that, Danzo stated that he wanted to make me his weapon. I don't know what happened, but I attacked. Killed two with my sword but then the others disappeared without a trace, leaving me with just Danzo. He charged and I grabbed him by the throat… that was when the Anbu appeared."

Did he just leave out the part about Danzo's Sharingan? Naruto was surprised at how he was able to leave that out without blinking an eye.

Ibiki took a couple of notes before staring at the blond deeply. "Make you his weapon? What do you think he meant by that?"

"I don't know… I tried asking but he didn't respond to the question. But considering that he attempted to seal my chakra, I can only guess that it involved trying to brainwash me." Naruto said, he didn't seem to believe the brainwash part, a fact that Ibiki didn't miss.

"Are you aware that he did try to get you to be trained by him when you were younger so that you could become the perfect weapon for the Hidden Leaf?"

"Jiraiya did warn me about him, so I wouldn't find it hard to believe. The power of the Kyubi is something attracting to people who are obsessed with power. They would not waste time doing anything to get their hands on it." Naruto said, a bit indifferently.

Ibiki took note of the indifference before asking his next question. "Who was the first to attack? From what you said, it doesn't appear as if even though they had attempted to seal your chakra, they attacked first."

"I surprised them by attacking first when it became obvious to me what they meant no good intensions." Naruto said calmly. "At that point, not attacking when the opportunity had presented itself would have been a mistake on my part and I may have regretted it."

Ibiki stared. "Is there anything you're leaving out?"

Naruto shook his head. "I think that's about it." He said. He knew that they would not try to get into his head. Entering the head of Jinchuriki with the Yamanaka techniques was a dangerous risk. If he was a corpse then, it would be fine, but he was still kicking at the Bijuu within could interfere with the process.

"I see." The man said before closing his notes. He stood up and told Naruto to do the same. However, he allowed the blond to walk ahead of him just to avoid any nasty surprises. He was aware that the blond wasn't restricted in his movements so Taijutsu or using a knife to attack him was very much possible.

As they walked within the dark passages, Ibiki asked out of curiosity. "From what I know, your relationship with the Godaime Hokage is almost like that of family, why didn't you ask about her, or what she thinks about this?"

Naruto shrugged. "At this stage, it is her duty as the leader of this village that must come first. Personal feelings aside…" the blond said. "What, does she have a message for me?"

"Yes," Ibiki said with a nod. "She said you must hold on as she tries to conduct things professionally. Most prisoners are usually bound so that they can't even move, but you have your full mobility. Well, there hasn't been any need since you didn't even fight when the Anbu brought you here. I hope you will continue to behave."

Naruto smiled. "I have manners." He said.

Ibiki returned the smile. "Yes; says the brat who used to paint the Hokage Monument." He said before locking the blond once more.

Once Ibiki was gone, Naruto settled into a meditative pose once more. 'You mentioned some things you shouldn't have mentioned.' Kurama was quick to say the moment the blond closed his eyes.

'I know, but I want to see how Tsunade will respond to it. Ibiki surely took notice of it. At this point, I just want to see how people react to this kind of things.' Naruto responded calmly. 'For now, I will just have to wait and see what will happen.'

 **Foundation Bases**

Danzo could not be more satisfied than he was at his grand scheme; everything had fell into place so smoothly he almost felt like giving himself a pat on the back for a job well done. Of course, he'd just remained expressionless in the face of a good worked plan bearing him much fruit. Tsunade wasn't much of a problem, at least now when he had all the cards in his hands. Yes, things have never looked so pleasant since the Sandaime Hokage came into power, denying him of his rightful place at the Hokage Tower. That mantle was his and he would not go away from this world without sitting on it.

Naruto was the key around this time; the blond had proved to be powerful – it pleased him massively. He had been a disappointment and a failure for a Jinchuriki before he left the village, but now he was proving his worth. Of course, that made him pleasing to the war hawk. If he could get his hands on the Jinchuriki and paint him black, things would work out well for him – there would be no one to stand in his way with the power of the most powerful Bijuu.

Tsunade wouldn't do anything; especially with the way he set up things. Any public action against him would result in a massive outrage from the villagers. They loved her, but they also resented the Kyubi and by extension, Naruto. If his message strikes the hearts in the way he wants it, they would surely not accept it if he gets punished whilst the 'demon' gets away with killing two innocent members of his unit.

When Sai appeared before him, Danzo gave his instructions. "You should stay away from the light, for now at least. Naruto is going to tell them everything and they will believe him without getting into his head. I believe that they would not carelessly enter his head knowing that he is a Jinchuriki. In any case, until things settle down and Naruto joins the dark side of things, you will no longer involve yourself in Team 7…" Danzo stated calmly. "I do however, have a mission for you."

Sai merely waited patiently; he would move when the man before him commanded. He was but a tool after all. With how things were now, he doubted there was even going to be a Team 7. Sasuke didn't look like he was going to come back and with things there way they were, Naruto could not live within the light freely. He would have to be somewhere he could not be seen by the villagers, such as in Anbu.

"I cannot allow Orochimaru to take Sasuke's body. He hasn't been forthcoming about the Uchiha's growth but I have been hearing some things. You are to go to a location you will be given to meet with someone from Orochimaru for an exchange of information. Once that is done, send the message back and try to locate Sasuke. Don't go in, locate him, observe and then return."

"Hai, Danzo-sama."

What was left now, was what? Yes, Jiraiya was going to come up with something and no doubt Tsunade wouldn't let this go. She might not do anything now, but she will try to do something; he had to find a way to go around that. But before that, he needed to make sure that the Kyubi was firmly in his control.

Perhaps using Shisui's eyes now was even better. If he had used it back then, there would have been a lot of questions about the change in the blond's decisions and associations but with everything around him crumbling, things could work out for him.

Thinking of the Sharingan, it was something that the blond hadn't mentioned it to Ibiki was it? If he had suggested so, Tsunade would have had her Anbu try to remove the bandages on his head. Of course, if things had come to that, they wouldn't have found anything because he had accounted for that in his planning.

Well, it didn't matter anyway. This just meant that the Uzumaki wasn't hopelessly foolish.

 **Hokage Office**

It was already late at night, but Tsunade was still sitting in her office trying to make sense of everything that has happened today. Inoichi had already brought his report and told her of Naruto just attacking Danzo. Of course, the man had other memories sealed. Inoichi probably saw what Danzo wanted him to see. It was disappointing and she could not draw out a conclusion concerning that report. Even Inoichi could not even draw a conclusion because the memories were blurred and try as he may, he couldn't get anywhere.

She was forced to let Danzo go. Of course, her opinion was that Danzo had attacked Naruto. Whatever, this was, Danzo had planned it all. There was no doubt regarding it. But what was she going to do with the man? She was still undecided on that but what had made her day stressful was a rumour that started to fly about what had happened with exaggerations. Yes, small corners were saying that Naruto had gone on a rampage and killed an unknown number of Anbu and nearly killed the elderly Danzo before he was apprehended by other Anbu. His absence from the streets, which he had been roaming over the past days because of his jobs, was because he was locked deep in Anbu cells.

Tsunade hadn't been thrilled when her Anbu told her of those rumours. Homura hadn't even made things easier by admitting it to be true to other corners, at least the part were Naruto attacked Danzo and killed his guards. The entire village didn't know about it but by tomorrow night, everyone would be talking about. Of course, she blamed Danzo for this. It was his plan to try to get Naruto mistrusted once more. She couldn't even release him because of it.

If the entire village started talking about it, it would become a problem.

Naruto wasn't just an average shinobi. He was the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. For years, the villagers had hated him and cursed his existence. there were still some who looked at him with doubt but some had warmed up to him, especially with his showing at the Chunin exams. Even so, this rumour could snap everything back to where it was; Naruto was being controlled by the Kyubi and was a threat. She certainly hoped that things wouldn't go to that point, but who was she kidding? The thought of the Kyubi made the villagers of this village turn off their humanity and become intolerable animals she could not stand.

Still, Tsunade truly hoped that things didn't revert to back where they were. It would drive Naruto to a corner. They may not do anything to him, but the stares and looks of mistrust, Naruto would only be reliving the days of old. She didn't want that for Naruto. Not when she was leading the village.

Could it be that Danzo had planned this? If Naruto was hated and forced to walk in the shadows just so he could escape the villagers, or perhaps he goes to a point where he becomes mentally unstable? If so, it was well played by the war hawk. He could move in if Naruto allows the hatred to get the better of him. The increasing pressure on him would only make it possible for shouts for Naruto to be controlled and monitored because of the increased risk of his escape from Konoha.

The Godaime Hokage looked up to the door when she heard a knock. Ibiki walked into the office holding a file marked for the Hokage's eyes only. "You took your time." she said bit impatiently.

"Forgive me Hokage-sama but I was trying to connect a few dots and study my time with Naruto before writing down the report of my interrogation." Ibiki said before placing the file on Tsunade's desk.

The slug princess stared at it for a moment before looking back at Ibiki. She didn't touch the report. "Start with the bad news." Tsunade ordered.

"There isn't much, but he doesn't appear to be fond of the treatment he received from the villagers back then. He briefly touched on it and I could see that it wasn't something that made him happy. I could not detect anger towards the villagers. What stuck out the most was when he spoke about killing the two Root Anbu; he didn't blink, but just said I killed the two as if he was talking about the weather. There was nothing in his eyes, from what I know, he isn't experienced in killing people. His lack of emotion to death makes me question his mental status.

"The good news is that what he told me wasn't lie. From my eyes of experience, I can say without doubt that his story is true, according to him at least." Ibiki said in a calm tone. "He was cooperative and showed no signs of aggression. I believe him when he says that Danzo made the first move and said something about making him his weapon. Considering that it wouldn't be the first time he has made those intensions known, I don't find it hard to believe…"

That was at least some good news from a professional. Perhaps Naruto's testimony would fill in the blanks left out by Danzo. In any case, this was what she had expected. She had known that Naruto wasn't guilty of trying to kill Danzo. "Thank you Ibiki. I will study your report and Inoichi's report before making a decision. I don't have to tell you that the contents of this report are not to be shared with anyone."

"I understand, Hokage-sama." Ibiki said with a bow.

"Good; you're excused."

Ibiki turned away, but he suddenly stopped and spoke. "Hokage-sama, this isn't in the report, but there is something that Naruto left out about Danzo. I can't tell what, but there is something that he did not say. I thought if you spoke to him, perhaps he would tell you."

Tsunade nodded and thanked the man once more.

The slug princess didn't have the appetite to look into the report at the moment; what he had just said about Naruto, the bad, worried her. How could her Naruto, that naïve little boy kill without even blinking? Ibiki had said so, he hadn't displayed any emotion when he spoke about killing two of Danzo's Root Anbu. In any case, there hadn't been any need to kill them, he could have just disabled them. That has always been the case with him, hasn't it? Beat them until they could no longer stand.

Perhaps it was time to fully accept what Jiraiya had said – Naruto was no longer the same. She had been struggling to accept what the pervert had said about Naruto not being the same as he was. The 'issue' Ibiki had raised was a little extreme; so much more that she was worried about his mental state. For a Jinchuriki turning into a heartless killing machine, that was not wanted. It would raise fears, he certainly wouldn't become like Gaara, would he?

Tsunade shook her head; Naruto wasn't like that. There had to be a reason. She nodded and looked at Ibiki's report. She went through it speedily and was pleased when she finished reading it. There was nothing to worry about. She could consolidate the report into one, but now she had to worry about to handle that snake. Yes, she wasn't above using old information to throw him into a cell. However, knowing that Danzo would not willingly settle down, she had to plot wisely to ensure that his cronies were handled. That would be a long process that would involve dark arts, but she wasn't above taking such measures, especially when it dealt with that deceitful snake.

Once Jiraiya was back, she would begin with the plotting. She should have done this long ago. Even her sensei should have done so.

 **Midnight, Anbu Cells**

You just step away from the village and when you come back, it is already on its feet. What was just wrong with this village and the plotters? Kakashi had been shocked just learning that Naruto was in Anbu cells. He had thought someone was pulling a fast one on him, but it turned out to be true. Even when he was tired from his mission, he could not settle without seeing the blond. He had asked for permission to be allowed to see the blond and they'd allowed him.

The Jonin stopped by the dark cell and looked towards the son of the Yondaime Hokage. What has this village done? Would his sensei ever rest in peace? This village resented and ignored the presence of his son, the son he wanted to be seen as a hero and now it had locked him in a dark cell that was preserved for criminals. Naruto wasn't a criminal, sure he has changed, but he didn't deserve to be in this place.

"Naruto," Kakashi called, just to see if the blond was asleep or not. He was in that meditative position, but his eyes were closed and he hadn't reacted to his presence. The blond's eyes slowly opened. They were just crystal blue, staring back at him. The Jonin did his weak eye smile… "Yo…" he attempted to lighten the mood.

It didn't work.

"Kakashi-sensei, what brings you here in the middle of the night? If I was someone else, I'd think you were here to break me out…" Naruto said calmly. Well, that would be something interesting. It would change a whole lot of stories that needed to be written.

"I just got back…" Kakashi said. "Are you trying to make a joke regarding that?" He asked. Well, Naruto had been mischievous and never wanted stay still. Perhaps he could think of trying to escape from the cell and go to sleep in his apartment just because he could not sleep peacefully here. He had been that kind of person. But this Naruto knew that there would be consequences if he did such a thing.

"Who knows?" Naruto said.

He wasn't surprised to see the Jonin here. The man may have been a crappy sensei who only taught teamwork and tree walking as well as water walking, but he was someone who was human. The Jonin had taught him valuable lessons about life. And he has always looked to be someone filled with regrets, perhaps about his past teammates who were now dead.

"I thought you'd be sleeping but I'm happy I'm able to talk to you." Kakashi said, this time his eye smile wasn't weak.

"I can't sleep at this place. I tried, but it seems impossible. And there had been a visitor not long ago." Naruto said calmly.

It had been rather displeasing when one of Danzo's cronies operating in the village's Anbu confronted him. There had been a message for him and that was that Danzo could get him anywhere and at any time. That wasn't true and didn't frighten him at all. He was here because he had allowed it. If he had refused, there was nothing those Anbu could have done about it. They could have tried to fight him, but if he pulled most of his cards, he could have just left them chasing after his clones.

The fact that one of Danzo's people had come here to give a message had shown him that the man was after something. He had thought now that he was placed here, the man would try something. Of course, then, he would have to fight and that was going to attract attention. He may have been accused to attempting to escape if Danzo played his cards right. It had just been a message, which meant that there was another plot running somewhere else and that made him a little worried.

"Let me guess… Danzo's people?" Kakashi said, knowing why Naruto was here, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. "What did they want?"

"They are able to reach me anywhere." Naruto said calmly.

Kakashi was silent for a couple of moments before speaking once more. "How are you holding up though? Considering everything that has happened, this is unfair to you. Especially with Danzo walking around the village without any charge on his head." The Jonin sounded bitter about it.

"You're not even questioning anything." Naruto said.

"I worked with him before, I know his tricks and I know you." Kakashi said a bit carelessly on the last part.

Naruto nodded. "Considering everything, huh? My life hasn't been easy… It has been disappointments after disappointments. Our time with Team 7 was fine though. Now, it was perhaps the happiest time of my life. Sakura, you, and Sasuke. Of course, with the latter, it ended with betrayal and a stab in the chest that would have killed me if I wasn't a Jinchuriki. Well, that wasn't the first time he had tried it anyway. You stopped it last time. When I returned, everything seemed fine; the villagers seemed to have changed slightly, of course there were still some eyes, but for the most part I could walk within the streets and do missions without any burden.

"Just when you think all is well, boom, Danzo appears and says he wants to turn you into his weapon. Long story short, I end up being here. This is the kind of life that I live, but honestly, Kakashi, I don't know if I'm okay. Right now, I don't want to think too much about my happiness. When I get out of here, I will think about it because then I will know what will await me. It can't get worse than this, right?"

Kakashi flinched with that last question from Naruto. No one should really say those words because they appeared like a curse. Yes, it was going to get worse than this. Today was nothing, but tomorrow by midday, Naruto would no longer be able to walk in the streets freely. Kakashi had known that it would have to take Naruto about doing something ridiculously pleasing in the eyes of the villagers for them to accept him as just Naruto. There was a big 'but' nevertheless. If Naruto happened to do something that was considered evil, all those fears, those thoughts they had about him, would come back in the blink of an eye.

The human mind was a treacherous thing. One simple wrong could ruin a lifetime of good. And for Naruto, a single rumour could return to the days of the old. It wasn't going to become simple as there was apparently someone running a campaign against the blond – at least as far as his former colleagues at Anbu have told him. Even if there were some exaggerations, but if the villagers recall what they used to call him, the loved ones they lost, the image of the Kyubi destroying this village, those emotions would show themselves once more.

Had it been a couple of years ago, he wouldn't have had the guts to say it to Naruto, but there was no other choice here. He hadn't spoken to the Godaime and the Anbu said they hadn't told the blond about it yet. But Kakashi wasn't going to keep Naruto in the dark about something like this, even if it would be painful for him to accept.

"There is actually something," Kakashi said, his tone a bit hollow. "I haven't witnessed it myself but the Anbu said after conducting some investigations, they found out that there was a rumour with some exaggerations running around the streets. It was a surprise to them, because only a few knew about the incident as Tsunade-sama had declared it an S-rank secret. Not even the clan heads were told about it. But somehow, it was doing rounds in the streets."

Kakashi didn't have to spell it out what was being said, Naruto could make heads and tails. Yes, he had killed people, but they were probably looking at it as if it was some sort of taboo because he was a Jinchuriki of the Bijuu that killed many that fateful night. They were exaggerating, but Konoha's people have always acted in such a manner. Naruto didn't find it surprising really. Did he really expect more from them? Maybe, but this was the reality of things. The fact that they had called him a demon brat when he was just a little boy showed him just how treacherous they could be.

Naruto sighed disappointedly; these were the humans he wanted to save from the corrupt world of shinobi. What has the world really offered him? Well, it was because the world was in such a state that he could not live peacefully. Yes, he had to fight this world in order to change it. There have been people, who say that the world was wrong simply because they wanted to push their agendas, but in this case, Konoha was well and truly wrong and he wasn't the only one who could attest to that.

However, he was the only one who was going to do something about it.

The bright colour that had been in his eyes dimmed slightly before he responded with just two words. "I see."

"I believe that Danzo was after this; if this pushes you into the darkness, it would be much easier for him to get his hands on you. People in pain and starting to doubt life is much easier to corrupt. In Danzo's world, he must think that you will be corruptible; a little push is all that is required. He's probably thinking that he can convince you that you no longer have a life in the light but should operate in the darkness." Kakashi said. He didn't know what was coming over him to say all these. Perhaps it was that he was angered by this scheme from the war hawk.

"He is rather good at this kind of tactics," Naruto said. "If the rumour expands to the entire village, it is going to take me saving this village from complete destruction for them to see me in good light…" the blond sighed, shaking his head. "Thanks for letting me know, Kakashi-sensei. I will think about it more along this sleepless night."

Kakashi stared at Naruto for a long minute, trying to figure out what the blond was thinking, but he could not think of anything. Well, Naruto has always been strong, unlike him. The Jonin shook his head. For a moment, he felt miserable at being unable to do anything. When things had been difficult, Naruto's father had been always with him. A pity, from what he heard, Jiraiya hadn't even told Naruto about his parentage. One of these days, he was going to do it, but he figured it would be something that would only hurt the blond more.

Even so, it was still something that needed to be done.

There was so much weight on this; Kakashi just felt like sitting by next to the bars, perhaps even dose off. He didn't even have any other story he could share with the blond. Did it feel like he was abandoning the blond by leaving him alone here? Sasuke was already gone. He didn't want to lose Naruto too.

There had been blunders he made as the sensei of Team 7 but he was man enough to admit that. Of course, it didn't change anything, but he knew and admitting it wasn't to make himself feel better.

Naruto closed his eyes, seeing that Kakashi was having a debate within his head. "I see that you have a lot to think about… you should go somewhere you will be able to think clearly, Kakashi-sensei. I also need to do my thinking. Because if I leave this place tomorrow, a whole new world will be awaiting me, I must be prepared to face that."

Kakashi slowly nodded; another weak eye smile graced his expression but he did not move not until a couple of minutes flew by.

Once Kakashi slowly retreated, Naruto opened his eyes; a cursed life, huh? Just a day ago he was agonising about the fact that he was going to betray his friends and now he was being taken back to those miserable young days he had experienced in this village. His mind was a lot different now, and it felt as if he could get frustrated. But he knew, if he allowed such an emotion to grab him, he would learn to resent people, like murderously resent them. For the path he was going to take, it would be easy for him to get lost.

He could not allow hatred to find a room in his heart. Perhaps he would have some stored away, but he would not allow it to control him. If he allowed such, he would certainly live with the regrets for the rest of his miserable life.

'It wouldn't be a bad thing if you get lost in that way,' Kurama suddenly said. 'If tomorrow becomes unbearable and the villagers return to their ways, what would be the use of trying create a better world for these people? No one would blame you if you thought of destruction rather than peace.' The Bijuu said. 'But I know you're not going to follow that path. Either way, humans are such despicable creatures… the bigger question though is; are they worth saving?'

'I'm also a human…' Naruto responded calmly. 'Perhaps my methods and the way I will take will let me take the mantle of god, but I will only be playing god. Well, not with the current power I have. I'm strong but not almighty powerful to take on an entire village. Of course, your power makes me ridiculously powerful but I have yet to master the control of it. Before the journey even begins, I must bury myself into deep training.'

'If you knew that, you shouldn't have even returned to this village. If you even leave now like this, no one will blame you. The villagers will be happy you're gone.'

'You'd love to leave the village when there is a chance of freedom…' Naruto said calmly. 'I will decide when to move. For now, I'm interested in understanding how these people think. Why would I want to save people when I do not even understand them? You execute jutsu flawlessly when you know everything about it and are a master of its element. I must know more and understand more before I start acting like a god… well, at least to myself. To this village, just the demon they knew I was.'

 **Hi hi… it has been quite some time since I updated. Hope you hadn't forgotten about this one.**

 **Now, when I was looking through the reviews, there were readers saying that they didn't want the story to end as it is written in God Amongst Men. I understand that, and I have said that I made changes. I won't say what is exactly going to change and how things are going to end… because I really don't know myself.**

 **On to this chapter: I had to take a different direction from what I wanted when I wrote the last chapter. I was actually planning for Naruto to brutalize Danzo, maybe kill him before fleeing, but I decided to take another angle. As I was going through it, I realized that Danzo should not have revealed the Sharingan for this to work out, but I still tried to make it work.**

 **Thanks for the read and apologies for my grammar.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Tsunade stood still in front of the bars keeping Naruto locked up. There were so many things that the mischievous Naruto could have done whilst he was here, most would be fuelled by stupidity and the thought that he hadn't done anything wrong. It was true that he hasn't done anything wrong but he was being mature enough to keep calm throughout this issue. Someone would have raised hell about the injustice being done to him.

Tsunade thanked Naruto for his handling of the situation. She could have done better to ensure that he doesn't end up locked up in this cell, but she had been worried more about the future implications of any issue being raised by this little hassle from that corrupt old fox. If anything, the Godaime wanted to grab him by the throat and a snap his neck just for being alive.

She would at least give it to Danzo that he hasn't come this far by being stupid. Her sensei could have hanged him long time ago, but he didn't do anything. Tsunade could not understand why he didn't do anything, but she would not make the same mistake. If left alone, Danzo was just going to cause more troubles. Well, for Naruto, things couldn't get any worse than they have.

It was still early morning, but she had seen the groups forming with people gossiping. Those were images that sent her gut into overdrive but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment. She really did hope that no one confronted Naruto with this but she was going to issue a statement denying the allegations about Naruto. Some sensible people would see the reason and stop hating on Naruto but that wasn't something that one could bank on.

Konoha's villagers have never been rational when it comes to Naruto and the Kyubi. They were always quick to hate and judge.

The slug princess smiled weakly towards Naruto – who stared back at her. Tsunade did not say the first word but Naruto did.

"You sure took your time to see me, Tsunade-sama…" Naruto said as he stood up – he did so slowly before stretching his muscles. Movement was restricted in this place and that made him a little stiff. "But I guess you are here to free me."

Tsunade nodded but she did not move to unlock the cell. "You don't look too bad," she said in a weak tone.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. The woman appeared to be hiding something or perhaps w as trying to ease into something difficult. If she wasn't here to free him, she was here to deliver bad news to him. That would be unexpected. From his conversation with Kakashi last night, he figured he would be released soon, and if Tsunade was going to come with bad news, that would change things.

He had reached his tolerance limit. He wasn't going to stay here any longer but it would depend on what the Godaime Hokage was saying to him. If she was promising him something good, then he could tolerate this a little longer. He also knew that it wasn't safe here knowing that Danzo could get to him at any moment he chose.

"I think I have had worse than this…" Naruto responded in a measured tone. He did not voice his thoughts to the Godaime – he waited on her.

Tsunade's mood just seemed to worsen at that. "It hasn't been a pleasant life, hasn't it?" She asked sadly. "From the emotional trauma you faced in the hands of the villagers to this. It is still remarkable that even after everything; you chose to fight to protect this village. If there was someone whose loyalty should never be question, it would be you. We are here; you are being accused of trying to kill Danzo. We have cleared you of any wrong doing and normally you would be free to do anything you want, but because you're Uzumaki Naruto, there is always something happening."

Naruto narrowed his eyes thinly; this was perhaps something that had to do with Danzo's intensions. It wasn't a pleasant thing to swallow. Honestly, he was starting to fear for the worst now because really, Naruto didn't want anything forced. Any forced movement would alter things in ways that he did not want.

Well, nothing really went to script, isn't? You could never plan for life to play it in a certain way. There were always going to be forces greater than you which will push things out of your control. If Danzo planned something sinister, then he could not control that and it would certainly change things for him.

Naruto shook his head. Was he forgetting what Kakashi said to him the previous night? The villagers were acting 'funny.' Naruto did not voice those words; he simply asked the Godaime thinking she had something different to say.

"What is it?"

Tsunade noted that Naruto's tone displayed no emotions when he asked – it was almost as if he was daring her to say bad news if she wanted to see his reaction to it. The Godaime shook her head; perhaps she was overthinking things.

"I won't say anything but it will be better if you just see it yourself. It won't be something you will like, more like a return to those bitter old days of yours. I am sorry for this, if there was something I could do to have stopped it, I would have, "the woman sounded in pain when she said those words. "Meet me in my office when you are ready."

Tsunade said those words and unlocked the cell. She walked away from the blond Uzumaki without saying anything further.

Naruto stepped out of the cell but he did not feel free, there was no freedom reigning down on him. If anything, the world just seemed get heavier and oxygen a little more expensive that he had to labour for it. He feared the world that he was going to see.

Kakashi didn't paint a good picture and Tsunade has just made it worse.

 **About 10 Minutes Later**

To Kurama, this was both laughable and sad. He had first laughed when he noted what was happening in the streets of the Hidden Leaf. The villagers were doing what they used to do before. Well, it wasn't exactly the same, but there were stares and hushed whisperers as the blond moved about the streets. It hadn't been funny, but the Bijuu had burst into laughter before calming down to look at it sadly.

He didn't think a couple of nights in Anbu cells would result in the blond going back to that old life. He was sure that perverted Sannin was going to preach for Naruto to do more good for the villagers to prove himself to be a good person. He had been trying that, but now he would have to do that all over again? Kurama didn't think so.

He would not have the patience to do something like that. Hell, if Naruto freed him now, he would not have a problem in making this village a former Hidden Village. Yes, there was no Yondaime Hokage this time around; he could wipe out this entire village within a couple of minutes. The perverted Sannin wasn't here to summon those Toads to stand in his way. There was no one remotely powerful enough to stand before him.

Kurama thought of tempting Naruto.

"If you're tired of all these, I have no problem in letting loose." The Bijuu said. "I would even be content with staying in here for a little while longer without any thought to escape the seal." The Bijuu said devilishly.

Naruto's form appeared before the Bijuu; the blond was wearing an expressionless mask on his face – it was just dead of any emotion. When he spoke, the tone did not betray the expression on his face. "What makes you think I would even go that far?"

Kurama shrugged indifferently before replying. "I don't know; what about the anger and hatred I feel from you? What, you have taken enough; don't you think I can't sense those emotions from you? You do enough to control them, but someone would have snapped already. It nevertheless doesn't change the fact that you have them deep in your heart."

Naruto was silent for a couple of moments. "I'm not that ignorant that I would fail to notice the emotions that I have."

He was very much aware of the negative emotions he had in him. They were buried deep within his heart. He tried to suppress them but this kind of reality made it very difficult. There was a little voice inside his head telling him to punish this treachery, to do something about this. What had he done to these people to deserve this? Just a little rumour and the fact that he was locked up in Anbu cells and they were ready to revisit their old memories.

Had it been someone else, they wouldn't have cared or even react in such a manner. He was different from everyone else. He was the host of the Bijuu that killed their loved their ones. To some of them he sheltered the Bijuu and to some he had been the Bijuu itself – such a sad reality. Now, the Bijuu must influence his decisions, he must be going insane.

What was Danzo trying to achieve from doing all these? Did he want to isolate him so that he could manipulate him a little easier?

A foolish move. It had its consequences but he was simply not going to allow that snake to manipulate him because he was feeling lost. He wasn't that stupid to forget that this was because the man started the fire. If Danzo thought he could manipulate him, then he was as arrogant as Orochimaru thinking he could destroy the Hidden Leaf.

"What are you going to do about this? You should know that as things stand, even if you wanted to be in their good graces, you would be have to save them from total destruction for them to look at you fondly. Even if such an event were to occur, would you even be motivated to save them after everything?"

Naruto refused to respond to the question; it was something deep that would get him having thoughts he did not wish to have at this time. He had to face the Godaime Hokage. No wonder the woman looked as if she was carrying the entire Elemental Nations over her shoulders; the situation was bleak and could destroy any hopes a person has.

"Why are you talking as if there was a plan to stay in this village forever?" Naruto asked the Kyubi.

The situation wasn't desirable and he hadn't done anything to make these people hate him but there had been no intention from his side to kiss their behinds in an attempt to get them to like him. He could discuss ways with Tsunade but it was all just going to be pointless talk because he had plans to leave this village for something greater.

This would just make it easy for him to leave. Of course, this didn't mean that this situation didn't wound him.

Kurama's response wasn't immediate but it did come. "With you dwindling around the village, I thought you would be having second thoughts. The moment you were arrested, you could have broken out of the cells and make your escape. With what you're going to do, will attempting to kill Danzo really be the worst thing you would have done?"

Naruto nearly frowned upon hearing those words – yes, he was going to do so many things, many unspeakable things. This was just wrong because the villagers hated him for something he hadn't done. It was all just rumour and the fact that he was walking within the streets should mean that he was cleared if any wrong doing, but they were still looking at him with suspicious eyes.

Perhaps he was being hesitant on doing what he had planned on doing – it wasn't going to be an easy road.

"I have my reasons, but this isn't something that should really get me down." Naruto said those words with a sigh. He stopped walking for a moment and looked up with his eyes closed. He sucked in the cold air trying to get a feel of the village. He opened cold blue eyes and held out his right hand, looking as if he wanted to catch the sun. "One of these days, I will stand in this village wearing mourning clothes and this village will learn to resent my name more than it has yours."

Kurama smiled. "Now there is some resolve in your tone." The nine-tailed Bijuu said.

"It might be because I am a little bitter…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Wouldn't it be something else if I could raise my hand like this and make clouds? From them, we would decide on whether to cast lightning jutsu or water based Jutsu… perhaps with even a little of wind."

Kurama was silent as he thought of an image Naruto had just painted. "You'd have to be a god to do something like that…" The Bijuu said a bit sarcastically.

"Holding the title of Kami wouldn't be so bad. Only gods can change the landscape and how people behave." Naruto said calmly. "People fear power and only those with power influence the masses. Even though I will have to force my will on people, I won't mind much because the end game will suit what I desire. With your power, it shouldn't be impossible to achieve, even if it takes 10 years; with an army clones that should be like a hundred years of training."

"With my power, I should be able to source any shortage of chakra." The Bijuu said. "But you should be able to build up your own chakra stamina. To cast such powerful jutsu you'd need vast amounts of chakra."

Naruto continued staring into the sky before responding. "I can imagine. I figure trying to create thunderclouds would mean having to form storm conditions. Just having to create that condition will mean using a lot of chakra." The blond said calmly before looking at the road ahead of him. "How much more chakra did someone like Hashirama have?"

Kurama was silent for a couple of moments before responding. "I have not met any human who has more chakra than a tailed beast."

Naruto was surprised at this. He shook his head. "Well that is something we will think of doing once we begin the real training…" He paused for a moment before speaking once more. "The Godaime is waiting for me."

"What are you going to discuss with her?" Kurama asked.

"I don't know," Naruto said.

 **Tsunade's Office**

Things may be bad, but at least Naruto had people who cared for him, Kakashi thought as he looked at the gloomy expression on Tsunade's face. There has never been doubt that the Godaime Hokage cared for the blond Uzumaki; but it was nevertheless refreshing to see it on her face at a time like this. Naruto was going to need people close to him to be there for him. He still had his friends, and they were good friends.

Still, this was a dramatic turn of events; Danzo was always scheming something but this time he had gone too far. Then again, where are the limits for the War Hawk? Didn't he commit treason by trying to get him to kill the Sandaime Hokage so that he could finally become Hokage?

"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi started in a very calm tone. "I understand that Danzo has rallied the villagers against Naruto and acting in the open might leave a door open for violence from the civilians. Most shinobi population don't even know the dark things that he is capable of doing, but it won't matter since you are the Godaime Hokage. Why are not doing anything against him?"

The Jonin understood that being reckless would only cost them dearly. Kakashi didn't think that there still Shinobi who hated Naruto for what happened years ago. They were smart and understood things better unlike the bitter villagers. Besides that, the shinobi have worked with the blond Uzumaki, so they knew his personality by now.

Tsunade didn't offer an immediate response but when she did, her tone was low yet it was very firm. "Unlike the Sandaime, I will not leave Danzo to act as he pleases. At this age, there is no need for him to operate and I will shut him down. Of course, I understand that he will not simply lie down if I choose to force the issue. It will be either fleeing or putting up a fight. I simply cannot allow things to spill in the open for the villagers to see everything. I'm displeased with them, but I cannot allow them to get caught in the crossfire of shinobi matters.

"Danzo will be dealt with and we will do it in a way that erases his existence from this village along with the Foundation. Personally, I don't want anything to happen to his people I would rather they fall under my command, but we know that Danzo teaches utmost loyalty to him, so I don't know if they will be able to switch should Danzo be killed."

Kakashi was silent for a couple of moments before finally opening his mouth. "You don't want to cause unnecessary bloodshed?"

Tsunade nodded. "I can't use the term innocent because I know there are things that they have done that can be considered treason. Sai came in just to spy on Naruto for Danzo. We knew that but we didn't think that it would lead to such a situation. They are all guilty as their master."

Yet, she was not willing to have them all killed along with Danzo in a very SS-rank mission.

"What about Naruto?"

"I know he just got back, but it would be best if he went away while I try to solve this Danzo issue or he could go away after we have solved things." Tsunade said calmly. "This is just a thought, I don't know if Naruto will accept it. We have to do what is best for Naruto, mentally. For now, the village can wait; Naruto's mental state and happiness must come first."

This wasn't what they taught at the academy but it would do in this situation. The village was the one that was wrong in this situation, Naruto could be afforded the chance to put himself first over the village as long as there were no treasonous thoughts and as the Hokage, she consented to it.

She would not care what anyone says or what the clan heads have to say about it, the decision was hers and she would do what she felt was best for everyone. The village calm down with Naruto present Amway. She could try to make them see sense and expose Danzo's lies to them. Nodding to herself, Tsunade was going to work on that.

She was going to let them know that they should be ashamed of themselves; Naruto was innocent and Danzo was the guilty bastard who had tried to take away Naruto for the Kyubi's power and resorted to dirty tricks when that failed. If she so wished, she could even tell them that the reason the blond Uzumaki was chosen to be the Kyubi's Jinchuriki was because he was Minato's son. They could deny it all they liked, but pictures of a pregnant Kushina along with Minato were there.

Even a stupid person would ask what has happened to the child of the Yondaime Hokage if his wife had been pregnant days before the Kyubi incident.

Kakashi did not dispute the thought pf Naruto taking some time away from the village; there was not much that the blond Uzumaki could do to change the situation at the time.

Before the Jonin could say something to Tsunade, there was a knock at the door. Tsunade didn't have to say anything for Naruto to open the door. There was a bit of a chill air that swept into the office when the Uzumaki walked in. he didn't say anything though, but just settled on the free chair beside Kakashi.

When no one said anything, Naruto spoke.

"I wasn't expecting to see you, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said in a very calm tone. "When you said things had changed, I thought it wouldn't be as bad as I had feared." Naruto said to Kakashi in a quiet tone. "Well, it isn't as bad as it was last time around when walking around the streets was like walking inside a steam hot pot."

He didn't have to think on whether he could live with this situation because he wasn't going to live in this village for much longer. He was going to leave at any moment, even tomorrow or the moment he leaves this office; he could disappear from the Hidden Leaf for a couple of years. There was so much training that he had to do and so much more he needed to learn.

He didn't need to see his friends; seeing them look gloomy over his situation would just make him feel miserable about leaving. He knew that they were going to have some second thoughts; they were going to look at this and only say it is because the villagers treated him in this manner that he decided to flee the Hidden Leaf. He could not avoid it though. Ideally, he would have liked to leave on better terms but this was not what he expected.

It wasn't going to change anything nevertheless.

Kakashi quietly absorbed Naruto's words before thinking about the younger days of Naruto; the blond had bravely walked around the Hidden Leaf even though most villagers held contemptuous thoughts about him. He hadn't minded, but just walked with a brave face, a wide grin and didn't seem to care about anything in the world. But that statement now just revealed that he did care about things.

There had been those lonely looks when the blond was alone; those questions that the Sandaime faced when he went to visit Naruto in his apartment. There was no doubt though; Naruto had been happy in Team 7. They had been like a family, Kakashi cherished those memories and he was sure his blond student held those memories more dearly than anyone else.

It was perhaps the only part of his life that made him happy.

"What do you think about it?" Kakashi asked, just to see how Naruto would respond.

Naruto stared at Tsunade's eyes for a long minute; a sad smile flicked through his expression for a second before being replaced by a neutral look. "It's really sad. I've never really given myself the moment to hate because I realized it wouldn't make me happy but much more miserable than I was. It turned out to be the right decision when I enjoyed my time in Team 7.

"Even at this stage, my thoughts are not mixed, but I cannot say that I hate the villagers for this. Perhaps I'm being cynical, but when it is coming from them, I don't think I should lose my sleep over it. That doesn't mean that I love every moment of this; not at all, I don't even understand why they could go back so quickly, I don't want to understand. My thoughts of Danzo are different altogether."

The words were a bit cold but there didn't appear to be any dark thoughts lingering around the corner when the blond spoke, not even when he spoke of Danzo. Tsunade was curious; how could he not come to hate the villagers for this? Was he just ignoring the negative emotions instead of dealing with them. If he was just pushing them at the back of his head, then he was probably going to explode one day.

"Why don't you want to understand?" Tsunade asked, her tone hardened.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the tone; it sounded forceful. But he didn't mind responding to it. "Honestly, I want to say I just don't care about it anymore. If my dream was still to become Hokage of this village, then I would be worried, but that isn't a priority for me anymore. Life is something else, isn't it? Before I left, I shouted being Hokage and really, it looked as if it would be possible when they cheered for me at the Chunin exams.

"With humans, anything can change; I have changed and they change every morning. One little thing about the Kyubi and they are ready to abandon all the good memories and focus on their fears. Well, fear is a powerful thing, it can manipulate even the mightiest. So many decisions are taken because of fear but that is life, unfortunately, for me."

Tsunade frowned; she didn't want to think deep about this. She was already thinking too much about this thing about Danzo and how to deal with him. Jiraiya could deal with this. From what the Sannin has said, the blond Uzumaki was very close to him. She could not penetrate through that cold exterior.

The Godaime Hokage sighed before shifting to the main subject. "I called you here because I want to discuss how we are going to deal with this issue. Although I don't want to admit it, but you have grown and you need to know. This situation must be handled carefully, and Danzo must be punished for this treachery. I want to do it quietly."

Naruto didn't smile at hearing that, he just tilted his head to the side, thinking about what the slug princess might be trying to suggest. There was something big that was going to happen and Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to be part of it. Then again, it could be his farewell message. Trashes like Danzo were the first ones who needed to be destroyed for a better world to come.

"I see you trying to convince the villagers that I did not try anything and that Danzo was actually the one who attempted to do something to me. It would be hard for the villagers to believe. They know what the Kyubi can do and they know Danzo as one of the village elders. Shinobi population wouldn't have troubles but civilians don't know anything, between the host of the Kyubi and a village elder, who is credible before their eyes, who do you think they will believe?"

Tsunade sneered in thought but she gave Naruto a firm response. "They will believe that snake. However, I'm still Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannins. When I came back here, they were singing my name. I will remind them it was you who convinced me to come back and if they think I would lie like that to them, I will offer my resignation as Hokage. I've had no troubles living outside this village and I can do it again. You must understand that there are things worth protecting.

"Jiraiya couldn't convince me to come back to this village, no one could. I gambled, drank through my days. I was miserable for years, but you came along. It was your action and your words that convinced me to come back to this village. I have been at peace, happy since I came back. I owe that to you."

Naruto smiled; it was a happy smile and it didn't last for just a second. He was honestly happy to hear those words from the woman. He wasn't going to deny that she had become a part of his 'family' but that would be destroyed when it turns this world into its knees. It was really a sad thing that he would hurt this woman who was willing to resign as the Godaime of this village for him, for the truth about him.

It was really going to be a miserable existence out in the wild. If it would hurt Tsunade, how much more his friends and Jiraiya? What about Kakashi? He was going to lose another student. Yes, there would be a lot of people who were going to be hurt by his decision. For a moment, the smile on his face almost slipped off, but he held it firmly.

Well, at least he was going to be quiet for a couple of years in the underground. It would give them much more time to think and forget about him.

"Hearing that makes me happy, Ba-chan." Naruto said; he could not hide the sadness in his tone. Neither Kakashi nor the Slug Princess commented on it; they just looked at each other for a moment before looking back at the blond Uzumaki. "What are you planning to do to Danzo?"

"He must be executed for treason." Tsunade said in a tone of finality. "It isn't going to be easy as he will not lie down and allow himself to be hanged. We must take measures to outmanoeuvre him and manage his Root Anbu. We must deal with him in a way that they don't end up trying to get revenge for his death should they remain alive in the aftermath."

"Danzo's Anbu are highly trained but they are not that many. Last time, the Sandaime managed to surround them with his Anbu. However, since this time around, something has to happen to Danzo, it's not going to end with a stalemate; there will be bloodshed." Kakashi added.

Tsunade nodded in agreement. "Nothing is going to happen until Jiraiya returns; it has to happen quietly in the underground. Anyone who isn't involved must not know about it." The Godaime paused for a moment before asking. "Have you killed someone, Naruto?"

"You want me to take part in this?" He asked. "You don't have to worry about me." The blond Uzumaki said. This would be his last mission for the Hidden Leaf. He could do that and flex his muscles, but afterwards, he would be gone. The day that follows Konoha would wake up with him gone from the village. There would be no need to blame him for the murders if it was going to be hidden.

People would ask questions later, but he did not worry about that.

"Are you sure?"

Naruto nodded. "I have grown." He said before standing. "I think I'm going to go have some ramen. I need something to sooth my soul." That said, the blond Uzumaki walked away from the office without saying another word.

 **Still within the Hokage Tower**

Naruto came across what he recalled as Danzo's fan club. But according to Jiraiya, since Tsunade led the charge they have been a little different in their support of Danzo. Nevertheless, they were supporters of the war hawk and would not mind digging him out of any hole he dug himself into.

Those old wrinkled faces of the village's elders stared at him unflinching. "You walk proudly after everything that has happened." The old woman said in a cold tone.

"Why should I act any differently; I'm not guilty of anything."

"It doesn't matter if you're guilty or not." Koharu quickly said. "Because of this, the village has lost its peace once more. The villagers are on edge thinking the Kyubi will appear out of nowhere again."

Naruto raised an eye brow at this. Yes, she probably knew that Danzo had tried and failed to get his hands on him and resorted to such dirty tricks. "Shouldn't you blame Danzo for that?"

The woman sneered. "Danzo is blameless; he has always thought of Konoha in everything he does. The village has always come first in everything."

Naruto stared back for a couple of seconds before shaking his head. He walked past the old pair without saying another word. He really didn't have the time to entertain such people of this foolishness. They could say whatever they felt was right in their heads. Perhaps old age was getting to them. But he wasn't going to stand there lest he ends up getting riled over something he could just ignore.

 **Back in Tsunade's Office**

"Jiraiya told me that Naruto had changed, but I didn't want to believe it." Tsunade said in a slightly tired tone. "The more I see him; there more I realize that he has truly changed. He isn't the same brat he was back then. It isn't a bad thing but I do miss those big smiles of his… the enthusiasm he showed when he spoke about becoming Hokage. I didn't think that a day would come when it would no longer be his dream."

Honestly, Tsunade didn't know how to take this; when Naruto kept silent about this since his return, she had suspected something was up. Well, the cards were out now but that didn't ease her worries. She couldn't even guess what the blond was thinking. He didn't carry all his emotions on his face these days but at least today he did reveal some of his thoughts.

Tsunade really wished he had said something different; it wouldn't have worried her. At this stage, she was going to look for a good drink by lunch time.

"I'm sure one person who will be baffled is Konohamaru." Kakashi said with a shake of his head. "But I guess this is something that Jiraiya-sama already knew."

Tsunade nodded. "You have spent more time with him, how much difference do you see between this time and before he was stabbed by Sasuke?"

Kakashi seemed to flinch at the mention of Sasuke. It was actually the thought that he had used the Jutsu that the Jonin had taught the Uchiha that made him flinch. "He's a different person, but still Naruto."

"That doesn't make sense." Tsuande said. "If he has changed, then he isn't the Na-" the slug princess trailed off when Koharu and Homura smoothly walked into the office. The two stood behind Kakashi and addressed the Godaime Hokage.

"Are you just going to sit here whilst you watch the atmosphere in the streets becomes toxic?" Koharu said to the Godaime. "Whether Naruto is guilty or not, something has to be done about this matter. It won't take long for some to suspect that Naruto may be manipulating your actions. You know things start little and someone pours in oil… sooner or later, it becomes a wild fire that cannot be controlled. We need to control this matter before it gets out of control."

Tsunade leaned back to her chair before folding her hands across her chest. "Tell me, Koharu, what do you suggest I do? You're not even accusing Naruto of trying to kill Danzo and yet you're not pointing any fingers towards him."

"Danzo will always do everything for Konoha. Whatever he does is always for the good of the Hidden leaf!" Koharu was firm on that note. She wasn't going as far as to say that she didn't think Naruto attacked Danzo. She has had a few encounters with the blond when he was growing up. If anything, he had been an idiot and there was no way that was a mask. The only thing she could accuse the blond Uzumaki of being guilty was being favoured by the Hokages and not using the Kyubi's power for the village's sake.

She did have reservations about the blond; one, she did not trust him, not even the least. Considering the past that he has to face, there was a chance that he could flee the village. Perhaps Danzo was trying to avoid that. It would be a disaster for the Kyubi to be taken by one of their enemies. It would certainly raise levels of fear within the village – and that was something they had to avoid at all costs.

"You should take Naruto off the streets and put him in Anbu. If the Villagers don't see him, they will calm down a bit. Besides, when he is in Anbu, he can be monitored fairly." Homura said. "You know that he is a flight risk. If he wasn't, this situation has made that a possibility."

Tsunade kept a straight face when the old man said those words but if she were to be honest, the thought did cross her mind. Although Naruto could be marked as a flight risk, she just didn't think that the blond would go that far. That was just her opinion though. Logically, it made more sense for the blond to go away. He could go to Sunagakure – if he knew how much Gaara seemed to value him.

Naruto had said it – he no longer cared. He wasn't going to try to do anything good in order to win them over because he no longer cared – he didn't want their approval. He didn't want to become Hokage anymore. There was something that he was after. If he no longer wanted to become Hokage, he was going to do something.

She just couldn't put a finger on it.

"You must act quickly, Tsunade." Koharu said in a stern tone before walking away from the office along with her partner in crime.

Kakashi stared at the Godaime for a long minute before asking something. "Did you consider that he could be a flight risk when he was here? Is that why you didn't tell him you were thinking he should just depart the village for a while until things calm down?"

"You heard him, Kakashi; he doesn't care, he doesn't want to understand anything about them. Even if Naruto has friends in this village, do you think that would be enough to keep him here if he can be happy elsewhere? When you think about it, take note that he no longer has any desire to lead this village. You can as well say, he has lost his love for Konoha. Well, I can't blame him after everything."

The Jonin could not deny anything the Godaime had said but he did not comment on it; he merely stood up, "I will hear what Jiraiya-sama has to say when he comes back. But I will try to talk to Naruto just to see what he plans on doing."

 **Later, Training Ground 7**

Sakura looked sadly into the skies, surrounded by her friends. Life was a bit unfair wasn't it? Perhaps she was being selfish, but she had lost Sasuke – her dear love but now Naruto was going through another situation. They could all vouch for Naruto's character but they didn't share the same thoughts as the villagers. Things were not going smoothly and on top of that since Naruto returned from his training trip, it has felt as if she was losing him by the second.

The pinkette shook her head; now wasn't the time to think about her feelings. She had to think about Naruto. What was happening to his life wasn't what she would like for her teammate. It was unacceptable and they didn't even have to see anything to defend their friend. They knew that their Naruto would never do something like that.

"Has anyone even seen Naruto?" Ino asked quietly. "My dad said he was going to be released because he was cleared of any wrong doing."

A pity that something like that had happened. She was even beginning to like this new Naruto. He wasn't like that loud and idiotic blond who was hopelessly in love with Sakura. Thinking of it, he hasn't called Sakura, 'Sakura-chan' since his return, has he? Now that was something interesting. Ino shook her head before she lost track of her thoughts.

Sakura shook her head. "I haven't seen him but I know he was released today." She said in a said tone. "I doubt he would take any joy in walking around the streets when things are like this."

Kiba looked around for a moment before speaking his thoughts. "Isn't anyone going to talk about how Naruto is the host of the Kyubi? I mean the Kyubi! The freaking beast that nearly destroyed this village." He was honestly baffled that he had known the blond idiot for such a long time and yet he didn't know that he held such a burden within him.

Well, the fact that Naruto wasn't anything like Gaara just meant that being a Jinchuriki didn't change the way he lived his life. Still, how could he not know about this? Naruto never talked about it to anyone. Never, he never let it slip, not even in his happiest days.

"Isn't it something that despite being a loudmouth who couldn't keep things to himself he never let anyone know about it?" Ino said with a curious look about her. "I wonder what more secrets he could be hiding."

Tenten shook her head at that expression from Ino. Really? At this time, she was thinking of discovering more secrets from the blond? It was apparent that she didn't think too much about Naruto being a Jinchuriki of a Bijuu that nearly destroyed the Hidden Leaf. Then again, none of her friends seemed to be filtered with contempt when Kiba said those words.

Surprisingly, Hinata chose to speak at that moment. "I doubt Naruto would be avoiding the streets because of something like this. This isn't the worst of what he has faced in his life."

There was no way she could not remember those pitiful days even her father told her to stay away from the blond Jinchuriki. Everyone had looked at him with contempt when he was younger and of fragile heart. But above everything, he had always smiled and kept strong. At least now, he was grown and this wasn't as bad as it had been when he was younger.

Hinata's words brought silence as they tried to contemplate the meaning of her words. "What do you mean by that, Hinata? The idiot always wore a smile!"

Shikamaru sighed tiredly. This was all just a mess he would rather not deal with. Really, instead of coming here, he could have preferred to just go somewhere else and watch the clouds or just take a nap. There was nothing that was going to change in whatever they were going to say to each other. If something was going to change, it would be up to Naruto or the Godaime Hokage – they could only offer emotional support to their friend.

But would the new Naruto really accept that? Shikamaru could not tell. He doubted the Naruto he has been seeing over the past days would be someone honestly troubled by this. But of course, it didn't mean it was something he could just take on the chin and continue walking as if nothing has happened.

Someone spread a rumour that he had tried to kill a village elder and was being influenced by the Kyubi. People suspected things and then were remembering the day the Bijuu wreaked havoc within the Leaf. Perhaps that forgotten fear just returned. There was nothing that the civilians feared more than the Kyubi. Even shinobi feared the Bijuu. If it appeared once more, many would run to safety places along with civilians.

"It isn't surprising that you never noticed what happened in his life," Shikamaru said to Kiba. He wasn't going to tell the unpleasant story of how Naruto was hated by the villagers, called a demon and parents warning their children off the blond.

"Despite being a sensor, observation was never Kiba's strength… well unless it is a mission." It was the voice of Naruto. All eyes turned towards a tree nearby; the blond was sitting on a tree branch, overlooking the group with an expressionless mask on his face.

"Are you insulting me, teme?" Kiba demanded, ready to launch an attack towards the blond.

"No, just making an observation." Naruto responded a bit carelessly. "Hinata; I never considered how much your eyes were always on me, watching my every move. Of everyone, you are the one who knows how much I've had to suffer.

"Look at it in this way; I housed a Bijuu that killed many people, loved ones. To the villagers of this village, I was nothing more than a spawn of that demon. To make matters worse, I was an orphan – there were no parents to claim me who could say they made me. People hated me, as they hated the Kyubi. I got kicked out of the orphanage and by age 5, I was already living by myself. The Sandaime passed a law that no one should say 'Kyubi' or even talk about it. Instead, the people resorted to calling me a demon.

"This is why our generation never knew about it. Parents just told their children to stay away from me because I was no good. As a result, I couldn't make any friends. Do you know what was worse; even I didn't know I was a Jinchuriki. My entire life in the academy, I was hated, and didn't know why. Confusing. There had been moments I thought perhaps I was really I was a demon.

"Don't you guys find it odd that I failed the graduation exam but the next day I came back with a headband? I failed because I couldn't create a **Bunshin** , simple jutsu really and those who should fail to do it are those like Lee." He meant no offence in that. "Mizuki told me of a way to pass; steal the Forbidden Scroll and learn a jutsu from it. I stole the scroll from the Sandaime's office and learned what you call my signature jutsu; Kage Bunshin. Within a couple of hours, I learned that Jutsu. That was the night Mizuki told me I housed the Kyubi and the night Iruka passed me for completing a B-rank mission. Oh yeah, I defeated Mizuki by myself. So, I have always been cool."

Ino snorted at those last words. "Yeah right," She said. "You were far from cool." She said. "Well at least you are now. For those girls who like bad boys will surely be all over you now… I'm sure they will be in dream land, hearing how you survived torture in Anbu cells, accusations of killing a village elder."

Naruto raised an eyebrow before smiling. "I don't get that part of you, Ino." Well, the blonde has always been something else, just never interested him. The feeling was mutual though. However, he was sure in the younger days, Ino would've thought of the idea of a relationship with him to be the worst nightmare. "Though, I must say, I'm honoured that a delightful girl as you thinks that…" Regardless of how slightly twisted it was.

Sakura looked at the smile on Naruto's face and then at Ino. She shook her head; was this really happening? If anything, it looked as if Ino was flirting with Naruto. She had never thought something like that would be possible but it was happening. Sure, Naruto wasn't the same anymore, he wasn't asking her out and never looked at her in the same way as he did before, but he was still Naruto.

She would never think of him in any other way other than a friend, a good friend. There had been so many moments that they passed through because of him.

"Have you no shame, Ino?" Sakura demanded. She didn't wait for a response though as she chose to focus on the important matter. "I never actually noticed; you were always talking, loud, saying stupid things, and I may have added to the insults." Sakura sounded a bit bitter at this. "I did say some insensitive things to you."

"You were actually the one person out of everyone here who said insensitive things to me." Naruto said to Sakura. Of course, those words only made the pinkette look down in shame. "But that is in the past now."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Like I said; I didn't know about it until the night of graduation. Back then, I was afraid of losing friends if they found out about it. Now, it never seemed convenient." Naruto said a bit carelessly. He turned to Neji. "When I spoke about crafting your own fate, I said it because I carried a bigger burden than you did. You could say JInchuriki's are fated to be used as weapons, hated and betrayed. I have experienced a couple of things, but I have never allowed any of it to determine my future."

The blond Uzumaki said before falling silent for a couple of seconds. "You guys don't have to worry about me. It really means a lot though, that you have gathered here because you care. I won't forget that." He smiled before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

That was a clone?

Shikamaru sighed before turning away from the group. Everything was settled; there was nothing to worry about – Naruto didn't have mental problems that needed healing.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't see any reason to stay here…" Shikamaru said. "I'm sure Naruto has already spoken to the Hokage about this matter. They probably have a way of dealing with it. We will see in the next couple of days."

He wasn't going to say Naruto's indifference about the matter was a little startling – those were thoughts that needed to be kept to himself. If he had the energy, he would seek out the blond Uzumaki to question him about it, but he didn't have any and wasn't going to do anything unless an opportunity presented itself in a silver platter.

 **Foundation Bases**

It wasn't often that Jiraiya took reckless decisions to charge into enemy territories in anger. Well, he has walked into enemy lands but never fuelled by anger. This time it was different and if Danzo wanted to fight him, Jiraiya was prepared to retaliate. He was even willing to allow the man to see his Senjutsu in the process. He simply could not allow the man to walk freely without letting him know of his feelings regarding this mess he has just caused.

The Foundation Anbu didn't try to fight him – as most shinobi who fear his name. They had greeted him stiffly and escorted him to their master. The old war hawk was sitting at on a throne like chair, his never changing expression glaring down at his face.

"I didn't know you knew about this place's entrance; I don't remember the last time you stepped in here." Danzo said to Jiraiya.

That wasn't to say that Anbu didn't know about it. Maybe some of them didn't know, but the old ones knew. Some of them had charged into this place along with the Sandaime Hokage when he had made the attempt to get the old man assassinated by Kakashi – what a failure that was. But Jiraiya was always away from the village, so he never came around this part of Konoha's darkness.

"Just because I never come doesn't mean I don't know." Jiraiya said sternly. "Kakashi worked for you and so did, Itachi. I think you are forgetting that I run a spy network. Do you think that I'd miss things happening in this village?"

"There have been things that happened in your absence and even after they happened, you never came back in time." Danzo said effortlessly. "That is something that has to be dealt with. Well, since Tsunade returned to become Hokage, your presence and activities within the village have increased. At least that is a change."

"Sensei let a couple of things go your way even when you tried to have him killed. I'd always told him to take a firm action with you but he insisted on doing things his way. However, when you framed Naruto for trying to kill you, you crossed a line. You made things personal." Jiraiya said in a cold tone, leaking a murderous intent that put the present agents on edge. "Take me seriously when I say that you will not get away with it."

The Sannin said those words and stared down at the war hawk for a long minute before turning away.

Danzo narrowed his eyes; he could spot a threat miles off but he felt he needed to ask this just to be sure. He never been threatened by the Sannin. Now he had two Sannin's against him. Tsunade had sent him a message and it had been loud and clear. The woman wasn't going to simply sit back and watch things boil over whilst standing by the side. She was going to do something.

How he missed the days he used to spar with the Sandaime Hokage.

"Are you threatening me, Jiraiya?"

"Threaten?" Jiraiya said. "No; I'm letting you know that you will pay, even if it means I have to burn down this entire facility to do it. I will make you pay, its not a matter of 'if' but when."

The Sannin strolled way in an imposing manner after saying those words. He left Danzo with no doubt that he was going to take action over his treacherous actions. He had done everything to make sure that Naruto rebuilds his life and tries something for Konoha, but this bastard had ruined everything. Letting him go without ripping him would be just careless and not acting in the best interest of the village and Naruto.

More importantly though, Naruto's interests.

Danzo stared at Jiraiya's back until he disappeared, digesting what the Sannin had just said. There was no way he could count the threat as nothing. Unlike other people, Jiraiya wasn't just a small boy he could handle easily or manipulate. The man was a Sannin who has demonstrated his power repeatedly. If anything, Danzo would have avoided a fight with the Sannin.

Jiraiya would not only be the problem; Tsunade and Kakashi would surely get in the act. Even so, Danzo didn't think that this was something he could not handle. He could handle this situation without any trouble. He would just need to be careful to avoid falling needlessly.

"Inoe," Danzo started. "Arrange for an increase in security around the parameter. Something is going to happen soon."

"Hai, Danzo-sama."

Danzo was left alone trying to figure what the Sannins were going to do. What would they do to him? He didn't think they would go as far as to try to kill him. well, the look on Jiraiya's face could argue with that. Nevertheless, he did think it was just the man allowing his emotions getting the better of him. He wasn't going to provoke anything further, but just watch things proceed smoothly.

The stage was set and he had played his cards; it was time for Tsunade to make her move.

He did have Naruto exactly where he wanted him; isolated from the rest of the village.

 **A few Minutes Later**

"You took your time to get back you damn pervert!" Tsunade all but shouted at Jiraiya the moment the Sannin appeared in her office. She didn't care about the rare stern look on his face. She was going to put one in a couple of moments once she has gotten over her emotions over the fact that he was finally back.

"I was in a dangerous situation." Jiraiya said. "But I returned as soon as I could. I have already spoken to Danzo; I'm sure he will be alert for any strange movements. It doesn't matter regardless; a firm action must be taken against him."

Naruto was his precious godson and he wasn't going to allow anyone to ruin his future, especially not a corrupt bastard like Danzo.

"You're more pressing on taking action." Tsunade said. Not that it was surprising since she was also pressed on doing something against Danzo. But this was Jiraiya and he should know how to handle things smoothly. If it was something else, he wouldn't have started by seeing the War Hawk, but he would have come to her to discuss things before going to Danzo. "Why did you even say to him?"

"I told him that he was going to pay." Jiraiya said in a firm tone. "Danzo made a grave mistake in doing what he just did. Naruto isn't the same as he was back then. I'm not saying that there is something dark about him, but he doesn't think as kindly as he used to in his younger days. He is no longer an innocent little boy. The changes in him mean that he isn't going to try to talk his oppositions into surrendering.

"I'm also afraid of Naruto's response to all these. I know he no longer has any plans on becoming Hokage. Although he never said anything to me, I could tell because whenever I brought it up, he never showed any interest in it. He was most focused on the peace talk. Perhaps I should have noticed it but I indulged it because finally, I wanted to talk to someone who was interested in peace." The Sannin shook his head after saying those words.

"Well, we just have to do damage control and a decision has already been made on how to deal with Danzo." Tsunade said firmly.

 **The Following Day, Early morning**

 **Training Ground 44**

The surrounding trees were cut down, leaving a clear field. If anything, it appeared as if someone had just been chopping down the trees to clear the way for some building. He could feel wind chakra all over the place to be able to tell that this destruction wasn't natural. He had seen something like this before when Naruto was practicing wind control and wind jutsus. The element was his strongest and he was trying to learn other elements.

Wind stood out the most though. He still had a long way to go with it but he could do some things that not many could do with it.

Jiraiya looked at the centre of the destruction; there was Naruto, sitting in a meditative position; right hand held out with a mini-Rasenshuriken spinning powerfully. His eyes were closed and there were bruises around his frame.

"Still trying to maximise the use of that jutsu?" Jiraiya asked calmly.

"Yes, but the struggle doesn't seem like it will end soon. I cannot control it each time I increase the power within it. I have to find more power when not using Senjutsu to be able to control and be able to hurl it. In this way, it will damage my hand if use it in its current form. It also consumes too much chakra. I can create thousands of **Kage Bunshins** each with Rasengans, but I can only do two **Rasenshurikens** and still hope to continue fighting. A third one will leave me with only enough energy to run away. A fourth would likely leave me emaciated only because I'm a Jinchuriki. If not, it would kill me."

Jiraiya nodded. "Well, you're trying to create a powerful a S rated jutsu. If you perfect it, I don't see any defence jutsu capable of completely blocking it. It would simply rip through all forms of defence. Perhaps metal would be its weakness but anything that can shatter or be moved, it would penetrate." The Sannin said. "Why do you want to be able to use it repeatedly?"

"I'm going to fight many battles in the future, fight powerful opponents. I need to be strong." Naruto said.

"About that…" Jiraiya started in a serious tone. The seriousness of his tone caused Naruto to cancel his jutsu and face the Toad Sage. "We need to talk about a threat that has arisen within the Elemental Nations."

Naruto stared at the Sannin for a long minute. There was always something in this world, wasn't it? Corrupt and inhuman pieces of flesh like Orochimaru walked within this world, destabilizing peaceful lands with their madness.

For Jiraiya to speak in such seriousness, this meant that the threat was very big.

"You must have heard me talking about the Akatsuki in my conversations with my people. I never told you anything about it and you never bothered to ask about it…"

Naruto shrugged. "My trust in you compels me to be silent on some matters and wait on you to come to me. I'm not going to hear something or suspect that you are hiding something from me then charge straight to demand answers."

Jiraiya smiled briefly at that before getting onto his message. "They are a group of S-ranked rogue shinobi headed by a mysterious leader. Two former Leaf shinobi have connections with the organization; Orochimaru is a former member and Itachi is a current member. I don't know how many members they have but they were doing mercenary missions in the past. Anything you paid, they could do. Either destroying a small village or assassination, they did everything. Iwagakure is rumoured to have used their services.

"My Intel suggests that they may perhaps be pushing a bigger agenda. I don't know for sure, but it appears that they are now going after Jinchurikis. I don't know for what reason, but I doubt it is anything good.

"This means that your very life is in danger. I have already spoken about it with Tsunade and she agrees that for your safety, you must never be alone when outside the village. S-rank shinobi are basically Kage level. With Senjutsu you should be able to handle yourself against one but there is a lot we don't know about their strength."

Naruto silently absorbed what he was being told by the Sannin with a frown on his lips. It was rather sad that something like this was happening. There was the danger that this could destabilize the current flow of things within the Elemental Nations.

Things were calm but anything can brew at any moment in this world of shinobi. If the Akatsuki is truly after Jinchurikis it simply meant they were after the power.

What could they possibly wish to do with that power?

"There are Nine tailed beast and I host the strongest. Do you know other Jinchurikis? Aside from Gaara, I don't know any other." Naruto said.

"Kumo has two, so does Iwa. Kiri used to have one but he has since disappeared." Jiraiya said. "This complicates things given that there is still the issue of Danzo that needs to be dealt with."

Naruto nodded. "Outside the village is no longer safe and in here there is a situation that can drive someone mental." The blond Uzumaki sighed tiredly. "This is going to put a strain on my mind." He said.

"I know." Jiraiya said sadly. "Are you sure you want to be involved? It is going to be messy."

Naruto nodded. "There is no way of avoiding it. Besides, I must grow. Its not going to be pleasant as I don't handle blood very well, but it has to be done."

Jiraiya nodded. "How about we meet for a bottle of sake later on? You can help me pick on women as we drink. I haven't had any good materials recently." The toad sage said with a grin.

Naruto smiled. "Sure, why not?"

It was going to be the last fun he has with this Jiraiya. He may as well depart with a bang.

 **End of chapter**

 **I will try to upload the next chapter next week by Friday at least; I'm already halfway through it.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The nights in the dark pits where shinobi come to drown their sorrows and lick their wounds were always different. Even though many came because of problems, after a couple of drinks in the bar, laughter would fill the loud chambers crowded with men and women drinking their brains into a frenzy of dizziness. There would be no one crying, everyone was always in a joyous mood. Even those being rejected in their advances to women were also not showing in signs of depression. In this kind of nights, even women tried and sometimes were successful in their hunt for men.

As Jiraiya would say, there were men eaters clothed as women.

The Toad Sage was of course always at home in such a place. After a couple of drinks, and sometimes not even after drinking, he would be sprouting nonsense, but mostly boasting about his greatness as the Legendary Toad sage. That was Jiraiya but remarkably, Naruto has never seen anyone hitting on the Sannin. He was the one who made the moves. It isn't to say he wasn't loved. Of course, mostly he had to spend money, but for the Sannin, it was money well spent.

If he had a good time and lecherous memories to use for his next book, Jiraiya would not complain.

Naruto wasn't a particular fan of the night clubs and drinking with whores, but every now and then, Jiraiya had pulled him into this kind place. Once you had a couple of drinks, you would loosen up a bit and have a bit of fun. Naruto would not honestly say that there hadn't been moments he found himself having fun with Jiraiya and a couple of ladies close by. He, however, could not, in good conscience, drag a drunken girl to his den. Jiraiya has always frowned upon that, but Naruto would not take much from a man who makes his riches by writing trash for perverts.

The blond Uzumaki was sitting in a dark corner, with required protection done by the Toad Sage to ensure that no one eavesdrop on their conversation. Spies tended to hang about this place. Even Jiraiya sometimes came to this kind of place to gather Intelligence. Some who could not hold their liquor sometimes let loose of secrets to the ladies they were trying to bed… yes, secrets like those secret and dangerous missions they just complemented.

Of Course, sometimes it was all nonsense. Shinobi lied all day long to get what they wanted.

The Uzumaki had a small cup in front of him, but his eyes were all over the chamber of fun; there were shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and a couple from other villages. He could see some he knew from the Leaf and many more he has never met in his life. If there were Anbu within, you could never tell; they blended in smoothly.

"Are you not going to drink?" Jiraiya asked Naruto. The night was still young, but it would be no fun if Naruto didn't want to partake in it. They were here to drink and just forget about the misery of their lives and what they were about to do. They may as well leave this place if they were going to just stare at the sake.

Naruto was his priority this night, so, Jiraiya was willing to take his bottle with him and go to the hot springs with the blond if it would be enough to get them to talk. He needed to know where exactly the blond stood with the villagers and how exactly he felt about Danzo. Aside from that, he needed to do damage control if there was a need for it.

The Jinchuriki turned towards the Sannin before staring down at the cup full of sake from the Land of Toads; the Toad Chief was willing to give it to him but never to Jiraiya. But of course, the Sannin would always get it from him. Naruto took the cup and then sip; the sip turned into a gulp and everything within the cup slid through his throat. He didn't slam the cup at the table like those sitting by the counter, he gently placed it down.

Jiraiya took the honours of pouring in some more.

"I was still thinking about things." Naruto said in a quiet tone. "We have come a long way, haven't we, Sensei? When you appeared before me after Kakashi abandoned me to a man whose qualification was training students not yet in the academy, I never thought that we would come to a place like this."

Jiraiya smiled. "Well it has been a journey. We have filled it with beautiful memories and in a short time."

Naruto nodded. "You have influenced a lot about me and my change. Perhaps the only reason I wanted to become Hokage was not to protect the village but to be recognized as the villagers recognized the Yondaime Hokage. My existence had been denied, as if I was not alive but if I became great and get to be Hokage, they would never deny my existence. Well, that is the past now. Things change and I'm not too obsessed with it.

"What is life without growing and changing into something else? It should be acceptable as long as you have not thrown away what is morally acceptable. I have always strived to do what is good. Perhaps I was driven by the need for people to see the good in me. It wasn't an act, but through experience, my heart has hardened."

He was saying that, yet he felt heavy and burdened by the thought of causing pain the people he loved. He was going to do that and would not cry over it. Even if he does, it would not make him stop. He had a mission to fulfil and he would not stop, he would not drop dead until this mission was complete. At least at the end of his years of living, he would have done something, even if some people would hate him.

"Experiences do that to you." Jiraiya said, trying to display all the experiences he has went through in his life. "But you are right, whatever we do, we must not forget who we are. Once we lose our sense of self, we change everything, life turns around and the people around us start to look at us differently, in most cases, we end up hurting them. I know from experience; when Orochimaru left, we were hurt, sensei was hurt. Perhaps he had always been evil, but he was a friend – that counted for something."

Naruto eyed the Sannin for a couple of seconds, thinking. He was going to wound many of his friends but that was just a pain he had to go through. Perhaps things would not be that bad if he does things in a certain way. For sure, there will be bloodshed, but at the end, he will make something out of this world.

In a shift from the subject being discussed, the blond asked Jiraiya what he wanted to talk to him about. Naruto was sure that the Sannin was going to try to convince him to still continue believing in the villagers even though they turn on him quickly. They had changed, and they would change again. He just needed to keep hoping and not lose hope. Losing hope would mean the end of everything.

Even after everything, Jiraiya was a Hidden Leaf shinobi. He has lived his entire life trying to have fun but above all to protect the Leaf. Maybe it was something that had to do with the Will of Fire the Sandaime Hokage always talked about. The only thing that would make Jiraiya turn his back on Konoha would be if the Hidden Leaf stabs him on the back and then nail him on a cross before the burning. As things stand, the man was probably most upset with Danzo for playing with their emotions.

He may be right but one could not absolve them from their own actions.

"I know this isn't a situation we'd hoped for when we returned to the village. I really expected things to be better. If I'd known that Danzo would act in such a manner, I would have done everything in my power to stop him, even if that meant stepping on his throat!" The Toad Sage was firm in saying those words. "But you can't lose hope Naruto. You need to continue fighting on to show these people that you are a hero of the Leaf."

This kind of talk; if Jiraiya was going to be preaching it to him all days of his life, he would be troubled greatly. To Naruto, as things stand, it was all just a tiresome talk that would not change anything. He had come here knowing that the man would bring it up. It was nevertheless best that he entertains it anyway. When he leaves, the Toad Sage would not blame himself for not trying to talk him into staying.

"Jiraiya-sensei…" Naruto started in a very calm yet slow tone; his eyes didn't reflect anything, just expressionless. Had Jiraiya's eyes not been trained, he would not have seen it with the darkness that surrounded him. "Do you really think that I should waste more of my time trying to sulk up to the villagers? They do no care for me and have never cared. Don't you think it is time we said, we tried, it just never worked out.

"Ever since I started to understand that the villagers felt contempt for me, I had strived to be good, to be good for them and show them my heart had nothing but kindness, what I have I had after all these years? Sure, I haven't done anything noteworthy, but how long has it been? 17 years? I don't want to walk in the same path as you, sensei. I loved Sakura, but I gave it up because it amounted to nothing. My sanity matters above all. Why do something that is likely to drive you insane? Who will be there to pick up the pieces when I have lost my sanity?"

Jiraiya frowned upon hearing this from Naruto. Tsunade had already told him that the blond had said he didn't care about trying to be good to the villagers or what they thought of him but he had been thinking he could try to change that. Naruto wasn't confused – he didn't sound like a confused person. He sounded like a person who has had much time to think about something before making a decision he saw as rational.

Yet, Jiraiya could not accept it. What would be the reason for staying in Konoha you didn't care for its villagers? It wasn't the buildings that made the Leaf but its people. Buildings could always be rebuilt, but people could not. Without the people, this land would turn into a ruin.

"Don't make any hasty decisions, Naruto. Konoha is your home, has always been. You will find it intolerable to live here if you cannot live with the villagers…" The Sannin paused for a moment before testing the waters. "Unless you are planning on leaving Konoha."

"I doubt Tsunade would allow that to happen." Naruto said in a sad tone. "I host the Kyubi; I have gotten the feeling that some leaders feel that the Bijuu is a property of Konoha."

Kurama snorted within his cell upon hearing those words. Humans; Bijuus would always be a source of power, their little weapons. Although Hashirama didn't bring him into this village to be a weapon, he had tried to dictate things for him. Kurama would never forget the man had told him that he had been too dangerous to be left alone and Mito had proceeded to seal him within herself.

It was a little different with Naruto though; he was still Uzumaki. The hosts he has had have been all Uzumaki and each came with a different personality. Kushina came to him saying this was a situation that neither wanted but they just had to go with it. Naruto talked to him; the blond used his power and it has saved his life on different occasions. Even so, Kurama would not say that the blond was like all the other humans.

He was different, but of course, the Bijuu wasn't going to admit that to the blond.

"Tsunade cares about you, Naruto." The Toad sage said confidently.

Naruto didn't deny that; he knew first hand that Tsunade cared for him. "Despite my thoughts, Konoha will always be my home. I don't think I can never take another village as my home. This will always be home. My thoughts might not be happy at the moment, but this will always be home, where I have friends and people who like me."

Upon hearing that, Jiraiya smiled. He could now move on to the next subject before getting into the fun. "I'm glad to hear that." The Sannin said. "What did Danzo want exactly, Naruto? There are some blanks in what Inoichi discovered and you didn't tell both Ibiki and Tsunade about it."

"Both never asked." Naruto said with indifference. "Danzo wanted to manipulate me using a Sharingan he has implanted in his right eye socket. I imagine it isn't a normal Sharingan if he felt that he could control me with it. The Kyubi warned me."

Jiraiya stared for a long minute with his thoughts going back to a couple of years ago. The only Sharingan he knew could control someone without anyone knowing was Shisui's eyes. "I doubt it is but Shisui Uchiha had a Mangekyo Sharingan that was said to be able to put someone under a genjutsu so powerful that it could manipulate you without you even realizing it. I don't know if that is the eye, but as far as I remember, when Shisui was murdered, Itachi was suspected to have been the one to kill him. Perhaps it had been Danzo who did it for the Sharingan. For someone who craves power, I don't find it difficult that he would have gone that far.

"Why didn't you tell Tsunade about it though? If you had, she could have arrested him on the spot and have the eye gouged out before he could do anything. It would have been easy to handle him then."

"If he planned something like this, he must have known that should he fail, something like that would happen. Imagine if I had told Tsunade that Danzo had a Sharingan and when she strips him, there is nothing under those bandages. I did not wish to take that risk."

That may not be his reason for not saying anything. Naruto would deny that deep within him there had been a thought of doing things by himself. Should he have told Tsunade that piece of information, the woman would have dealt with Danzo right there and then. This situation wouldn't have happened.

Then again, if it hadn't happened, leaving would be much harder.

Jiraiya nodded, he could understand it. "I will discuss it with Tsuande but this just means that he has more secrets that he is hiding under those bandages. Who knows, with all these, he might not even be a cripple." The Sannin shook his head at that thought. He was just being ridiculous. "Well, more reasons to handle him. Ideally, we want to put him on a guillotine but we know that he isn't going to allow that to happen: this is why it might get tricky. There will be traps and he will probably try to take us down in the process."

"My training should be enough to handle what Danzo has to throw."

"No doubt about that. You really did kill yourself in your training. We should spar soon…" The Sannin said. "It will be bloody but we should end up sorting the issue in secret. Tsunade has yet to even talk to the people she wants on the job. But she is reviewing profiles. If she talks to them, Danzo will likely catch wind of it and disappear."

"That would be unfortunate…" Naruto said. "But you can just hunt him down."

They were talking about potentially killing people here and yet Naruto hasn't shown any discomfort about the thought. It was as if he was prepared to do the killing. Jiraiya could simply not wrap his head around the issue. Before they came back to this village, when they spoke of killing, Naruto would always reveal some emotions, but now there was nothing in his eyes, nothing in his face.

It was as if he was indifferent to the whole thing. A worrying matter but Jiraiya still shoved it at the back of his head just so he can enjoy the night.

The Sannin stood up, 'I'm going to get more drinks and some company…" the Sannin said with a grin.

Naruto shook his head raising an index finger. "You always bring back old woman, sensei. I want girls my age or at least late teens or early twenties." The blond also stood up. "I will get my own company. I have already found someone who pleases me anyway."

"You brat. When you were silent, you were busy zooming around!" Jiraiya accused the blond. "Before I go, can I get a couple to help smooth out the conversation? I forgot my wallet… may have lost it earlier when I had to run away from a murderous mob."

"I'm not going to give you money. You've already drank my sake…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "A man must speak for himself. But then again, you seem to like it more when you peek or pay, isn't it sensei? Is it because of your unrequited love to Tsunade?"

"Like your love for Sakura-chan?" Jiraiya said.

Naruto smiled before raising both his hands. "Fair enough…" He said to the sannin before getting up. "Good luck…" He said before walking away from the Sannin.

 **The Following Morning**

 **Icharaku Ramen Stand**

Ayame brought Naruto his fifth bowl of ramen but she didn't give it to him; she stared at him for a long minute before asking.

"This is the first time you've had more than one bowl since you returned from your training trip." She said to the blond. "Something wrong?"

As soon as those words left her mouth, Ayame felt stupid. How could she ask if there was something wrong or not? Didn't she know what was happening within the streets of the Hidden Leaf? Even some villagers who sat here even talked about it and yet, she was asking if everything was alright. She shook her head. Yesterday, he had been here, but he only had one bowl and he had savoured it.

Before the brown haired young woman could correct herself, Naruto responded.

"No, there is nothing wrong." He said with a smile. "Jiraiya was being a bad influence on me last night. We drank a little too much. I woke up early because of hunger."

"There is no such thing as a little too much." Ayame said. "If you were drinking, I'm surprised you're up so early and don't look as if you were drunk last night… well, assuming you got drunk."

"I'm a shinobi." Naruto said calmly but he did not explain it to Ayame. He simply held out his right hand for his ramen.

Ayame shook her head before handing the blond his bowl. "If you need anything else, just call me." She twisted away, heading back towards the kitchen.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you come here for the view." Jiraiya suddenly said to Naruto before settling down on the stool next to the blond. "Ramen, so early?"

Naruto shrugged. "If it is open, then it means it is right to eat it." Jiraiya shook his head in response. "You got lucky last night?"

Jiraiya frowned as he shook his head. "No," he said. "She fell asleep the moment we arrived at her home. Disappointed, I went to the hot springs but it was empty. I missed your clones at that moment."

Naruto turned to the Sannin with a sharp look on his face. The man had no shame in saying that, did he? But should he be surprised? The man proudly claimed to be a super pervert. Naturally, he would not be ashamed of his actions and what he says. Of course, this caused some righteous woman to smack the Sannin but he didn't seem to care about anything.

"What do you want so early in the morning, sensei?"

"I'm just passing by." He said. "But I thought I'd tell you that I'm going to give Tsunade information I received regarding Sasuke's whereabouts. As you know, I have been trying to track him down. It hasn't been easy since he is with Orochimaru but I have finally managed to get something about him."

"I see."

When Naruto showed no interest in asking more about Sasuke and what was going to happen, the Sannin shook his head. "You know you will have to deal with this issue sooner or later. For future generations, we might need the Uchiha. I don't care much personally, but it would be sad to see the Uchiha blood die with Sasuke."

"It isn't that I don't want to deal with it." Naruto said with a shake of his head. "I cannot deny that I did consider Sasuke to be a friend, perhaps even the brother I never had. Things have changed now, but I cannot really say I hate him. I just don't want to be tangled up in this mess; I already have enough in my plate to deal with."

"I understand that." Jiraiya said. "But refusing to talk about it isn't going to take it away."

Naruto eyed the Sannin – who was walking away – from the corner of his eyes before staring back at his ramen; his feelings towards the Uchiha were mixed but he wasn't about to beg the Uchiha to return to the Leaf, not when he was going to abandon it as well. He was going to be many things, but a hypocrite? No. If Sasuke felt that going after revenge was good for him, then he wasn't going to try talking the Uchiha out of it, not when he was going to walk a path that many would disagree on.

Of course, such thoughts he could not share with Jiraiya – at least not now.

 **Hokage's Office**

"You're in early." Tsunade said to the Toad Sage. She had planned for talks with the Sannin but she'd heard that he was out drinking with Naruto last night. The report had even included whores worming beside the two shinobi. "I don't appreciate you influencing Naruto to do any of those things, Jiraiya." Tsuande said in a very stern tone.

She hadn't been happy knowing that the Toad Sage had dragged her dear Naruto into a brothel. He was still young and didn't need to experience those things at this stage of his life. He could end up like this pervert in front of her. Given that he had developed a "Sexy Jutsu" before he even knew the body of a woman, she wondered how his jutsu would be now. It was no doubt going to be something even more devilishly perverted.

"Now now, Princess…" Jiraiya said, waving those his hands in surrendering. "The brat was down and I needed him to feel alive. I know he does become alive after a couple of drinks and some talk."

"Oh… so now you want him to be an alcoholic."

"Of course not!" Jiraiya more or less shouted. "I don't think I can influence Naruto in such a way. Whilst my peace ideals have gotten to him, he still remains independent and does what he likes. He hasn't even drunk anything when I'm not by his side… even though he can hold his alcohol just fine…" the Sannin grumbled at the last part.

Tsunade shook her head. "Leave you to be a role model and you corrupt a good kid…" She said disappointedly. "Anyway, settle down so that we can talk."

Jiraiya took his usual seat by the window frame. It was only then that Tsunade blinked realizing that the Sannin had actually walked into the office through the door. When did that last happen? Was something wrong with him?

"The reason I took Naruto out was because I wanted find out more about what was inside his head. Yesterday, he was training, learning a jutsu. On the last six months of our training trip, he took an interest in learning jutsus that were only good for destruction. I don't think he managed to get any but he was learning. He even showed interest in learning more about using all major elements. He has trained his clones, and was developing a jutsu that could make him fight powerful opponents without even stepping into the battlefield.

"I won't be surprised if in the next months or year he manages to create a super clone that can fight even Jonin level shinobi whilst he stands on the side, watching or perhaps not even there. He has been trying to put his presence in different places. From what I observed from him, he looks to be preparing weapons of destruction, for war. Very soon if he keeps his training up, he will surpass us. He has the potential and the Kage Bunshins don make it easy for him."

For a second, Tsunade looked worried. "What are you trying to say, Jiraiya?"

"I've never went all out sparring with him but I will try to get him to fight me so that I can see his full strength." The Sannin paused before speaking in a stern tone. "We mustn't include Naruto in the mission to 'handle' Danzo. With his mind-set now, getting involved in a bloody battle that might result in him killing people will corrupt him. That is a chance we cannot take, Tsunade."

"Are you sure about this, Jiraiya?"

The Sannin nodded and he knew what this implied but it could not be helped. His conversation with Naruto only affirmed his thoughts. When he told Tsuande that the blond Uzumaki had changed, he had meant it. Perhaps he'd thought the seriousness he'd used when informing Tsunade about the changes had disappeared once Naruto settled back home. Perhaps he'd been thinking that the blond would return to his old self, but there was no change and this little thing with Danzo has only made things worse.

It was a massive problem that had to be solved. These experiences that Naruto has to live through were not filling him with positive thoughts about people – it was all just negative things and a couple of positives. Yet, one could not hide that these experiences had their damage within the blond.

Jiraiya had seen it all and now it scared him.

"Yes; I warned you when we returned that Naruto was no longer the innocent child you once knew." The Sannin said. "Of course, he will likely catch wind of it we try to handle it with him in the village. We need to get him to leave the village before handling it."

But it would have to be an important mission. Naruto could not be allowed take part in the mission not unless he was done analysing the blond's mental state. It would be difficult because the blond knew how to keep things hidden. Those eyes of his could shift from the warmth they displayed into a blue sea of emptiness.

"I have already told him about Sasuke and I know it should get his mind thinking. The mission is important enough for him to leave the village. Once he is out, we can begin." The Sannin stated. "I cannot exactly say that the Akatsuki won't attack. But to balance things, you must send a squad of Anbu to tail them. Should anything happen, they can always intervene, and Naruto will be with his team. He also has the Toads to back him up should there be a problem."

"You've thought of this through…" Tsunade said. "Well, I can't disagree with that but Kakashi cannot leave the village. He will be essential for the mission. Yamato will have to do but we will need a fourth head."

Jiraiya shook his head. "Naruto is not stupid, hime. He will suspect something is up if Kakashi remains behind on a mission that could see Sasuke return to the Leaf. The only reason Yamato was placed in Team 7 was because their team leader had been busy. He isn't now and this includes Sasuke. We cannot give Danzo too much respect and say we can't deal with him without our strongest shinobi present.

"I will be there, so will you. I can handle Danzo without a problem and Anbu can handle his handful of Foundation agents. It isn't an army that we must deal with." The Toad said paused before sighing. "We cannot underestimate him nonetheless. Naruto even told me something that got me worried but not that worried enough I'd have doubts about our success. We will crush him."

Tsunade was silent for a while, trying to weight the merits of Jiraiya's arguments. She had to think things as well. If she could understand what the pervert was saying and if she could agree to it, then she would allow for things to go the way he wants.

After a few moments, the Slug Princess finally spoke. "Fine, when should he depart?"

"Lunch time; if they keep running they can cross they can camp by the Fire Country border by night and enter the Sound early morning."

 **Training Ground 44**

"You will have to remove headband to use your Sharingan and both your hands, Kakashi-sensei. This isn't like just after I left the academy." Naruto said to Kakashi. The Jonin had offered to spar with him – perhaps just to test his strength. Aside from the Jonin, captain Yamato was sitting on the side-lines, observing.

"Jiraiya-sama says you have improved a lot but would not tell me if you could give me a run…" Kakashi said, lifting his headband. He wasn't about to underestimate the blond Uzumaki. That stage in his life had passed. Besides, this Naruto wasn't the brat of a couple of years ago.

Naruto smiled seeing the Jonin showing his Sharingan. Well, at least he was going to be serious. His last battle against the Sharingan hadn't been all too pleasant; he had lost it even when the Kyubi offered its power. The situation was different now, these days he was a lot more experienced with the fighting stage and he thought more before he acted – he didn't just jump into the battleground without determining the situation and how dangerous it was.

"The self-proclaimed pervert doesn't know how much I have improved but he knows a couple of things." Naruto stated. "He focused more on the imparting of skills and knowledge. I gained battle experiences by doing some missions along the way. He was a little brutal about it at times, performing the great escape and leaving me surrounded by a group of shinobi who had every intension to do me harm. Of course, I'd pay it back by hurling him into a women's only hot spring."

Kakashi blinked; he thought about the scenario Naruto just painted. For some reason, he felt sorry for the Toad Sage. There was no doubt that he would end up being beaten to a pulp. Well, he enjoyed the fruits of those beatings in the form of his precious books. Unconsciously, the Jonin's hand shifted towards where his book was safely placed.

The famed Jonin's instincts kicked in within seconds when they sensed Naruto close by. The blond had used his little distraction by lunging towards him in a quick and silent burst of speed. It took a blink of an eye for the blond to appear in front of him, slightly above the ground, body bent forward slightly with his right hand moving from the right, charging horizontally just above his left shoulder.

The Jonin's natural eye couldn't see anything gripped by Naruto's hand but it did appear to be gripping something. The Sharingan, however, could see something invisible to the naked eye, formed like a sword charging towards his neck. He was a little alarmed that such an attack was coming straight at him.

Instinctively, and assisted by the Sharingan's capabilities, the Jonin managed to jump back in a quick burst whilst his body was bending backwards just for extra security. As he flew backwards, the invisible wind blade whizzed just inches away from his forehead.

There was no time to drop a sweat as Kakashi landed; he quickly lunged towards Naruto before twisting clockwise, returning with a high kick aimed at Naruto's face. Naruto was in a position to see the kick coming all the way towards him. He folded his hands across his face and bent his knees slightly for extra support. Kakashi's kick crashed into his defence, forcing him to slide backwards under its massive weight.

After sliding for a couple of feat, Naruto looked at his hands before looking back at Kakashi with a smile. "Well, you really do pack a weight in your kick."

"You tried to kill me!" Kakashi more or less shouted, pointing an index finger towards Naruto. "Without the Sharingan, the only way I could have avoided that was through instincts."

Naruto shrugged, raising an index finger. "Your lessons, sensei; on your first day, you clearly said; come at me with the intension to kill. I figured there would be no justice if I didn't come at you with everything." The blond paused for a moment, tilting his head slightly. "Have you perhaps been spending the past years reading those books you ended up neglecting your training?"

Kakashi stared. "I see you're serious," he said in a serious tone. "If I'm not careful, I may end up in the hospital today." The Jonin said doing hand seals. " **Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu**!" The Jonin expelled a large quantity of water from his mouth. The water formed a torrent that rushed towards the blond Uzumaki.

Seeing the incoming attack, Naruto had seconds to decide on which jutsu to use to counter. With regards to other elements, he had very limited options because although learning, he was still not excellent like the likes of Jiraiya and the man fighting him. He could do with wind though.

As the jutsu neared him, Naruto took a single step forward, enlarging his wind blade. He suddenly lunged towards the jutsu whilst swinging his blade in a downward slash – he was slightly above the ground as he did. The invisible sword sliced through the water jutsu, separating it. The water was diverted to both sides of the blond Uzumaki.

Before Naruto could even celebrate his successful test, Kakashi suddenly appeared below him. The Jonin slammed his right foot on Naruto's chest. When the kick connected, Naruto felt as if his lungs stopped pumping air for a second. The force of the kick sent him flying upwards.

Kakashi blurred above him, right foot slamming down towards his head. Naruto reacted swiftly by folding his hands just above his head to create a strong defence. The back of the Jonin's foot slammed onto his defence – it failed to breakthrough but still sent him crashing down the ground, with the Jonin still attached to him.

Despite being pushed, Naruto still managed to land down in a slightly good position, considering the position – on his knees with the Jonin still right above him. "You've got nice reflexes." Kakashi commented idly. "How do you deal with this now?!" The Jonin's right hand dropped an exploding tag, right in Naruto's face.

Naruto's faced revealed a look of surprise when the Jonin did something so merciless. Before the tag even went off, Kakashi made his distance and the tag went off, exploding into blue flames, surrounding the Uzumaki. From his safe distance, Kakashi watched as Naruto burst out of the flames with his hands folded around his upper body for protection.

When he landed the ground with slight burns on his clothes, Naruto turned his eyes straight at the smiling Jonin. "Was that pay back?"

"Who knows?" Kakashi said with a shrug.

"I think it was and as punishment…" Naruto said taking out a familiar orange book. "I'm shredding this."

Kakashi widened his eyes when the book in Naruto's hand was shredded into pieces; his hands moved speedily to his pockets to feel if it was his book. The moment alone was enough to close the distance between them; the blond appeared inches away from the Jonin before grabbing him by the face; he used brute strength to lift the Jonin into the air before mercilessly slamming him into the ground.

When the blond attempted to slam his foot on Kakashi's chest, the Jonin flipped to the side, avoiding Naruto's foot. Kakashi's right foot swept through the ground, hitting Naruto head on. There was enough power to sweep Naruto off the ground. The Uzumaki started falling backwards and slammed into the ground with his back.

When he slammed down, he sensed movement beneath him and tried to jump up by using both his hands to force the movement. Before he could even go further, Kakashi's hands burst from the ground, grabbing the blond's shoulders before slamming him down. Naruto's head got buried into the ground.

Kakashi burst out from the ground on the side; the Jonin took the air just above Naruto. But as he did, Naruto could see him. The blond clasped both his hands together. "Futon: Wind Bullet!" Naruto released a large bullet of wind, straight towards the Jonin. Since he was in the air, Kakashi knew he could not dodge it and with the speed it was coming in, wouldn't have enough time to do hand seals to perform any jutsu to block it.

The wind jutsu slammed into Kakashi's chest but the Jonin turned into a cloud of smoke when it connected.

Naruto slowly got up from the ground. When he straightened himself, he caught Kakashi dashing towards him in great speed. When the Jonin stopped close as he tried to attack, Naruto transformed into a redheaded, petite, naked and with a large bust young woman. The Jonin halted at the unexpected events.

Wasn't she like the girl Yu-chan from Icha Icha para-

"You damned pervert!" Naruto cut off the Jonin's thoughts with a heavy, and brutal punch on Jonin's forehead. The punch didn't connect with speed, it just had the power to shake the Jonin's entire body, making him feel slightly disoriented. With the Jonin still feeling those effects, Naruto slammed another right punch on Kakashi's guts. When it connected, the Jonin bent forward a little as pain shot through his body before he coughed up a mouthful of saliva.

Naruto followed up by twisting clockwise, his right foot going into the air; it slammed straight on Kakashi's face, sending the Jonin flying backwards. Kakashi slammed into a tree before cursing slightly as pain erupted from his back. He cursed once more seeing Naruto lunge towards him with his invisible sword.

The Uzumaki swung his sword with speed and power. The sword cleaved through the air before cutting Kakashi through the waist. When he felt nothing, Naruto halted. "Genjutsu?"

The moment he cancelled the jutsu, Naruto heard birds chirping; he knew he didn't have the time to twist around to face the Jonin.

Kakashi suddenly halted his movements, sensing something from Yamato. He dispersed his jutsu. An Anbu dropped into the battlefield. "Hokage-sama is calling?" The Jonin asked quietly. The Anbu nodded before disappearing from existence.

"I guess I got saved by the bell," Naruto said after releasing a long sigh of relief. "I didn't think that kind of jutsu would work though. It has worked on many shinobi but I thought you'd be familiar with it enough to keep your guard."

"Jiraiya-sama is familiar with it, yet he still falls for it every day…" Kakashi defended himself. "Besides, I didn't think you'd pull it off. I guess I shouldn't be surprised after that stunt you pulled earlier." He meant the shredding on his book.

Naruto shrugged. "I wanted to amuse myself. You've always been fond of those books. People who read those books are very protective of them and always keep them wherever they are. I noticed it with the Sandaime Hokage – he was a fan but he always kept his book hidden and never let anyone touch it if caught reading it. I don't know, it has always seemed like some sort of a holy grail." The blond waved his hands. "A nice touch, wouldn't you say?"

"It's cruel…" Kakashi said, massaging his book, as it to give it some comfort. "You have really improved your techniques and movements. You are also showing the use to strategy in battle… although they are cheap tricks, they do get the job done…" How many shinobi has he seen shinobi falling for the jutsu repeatedly? It was especially bad when the blond used the harem version.

"Raw power doesn't always win you a fight. Besides that, not every opponent you fight will be weaker than you. To be able to fight opponents stronger than you; you need to have the mind to be able to think ahead of them and think strategically." Naruto said. "What does the Godaime want from us?"

Kakashi shook his head; he really didn't know. He thought perhaps it had something to do with things of Danzo, otherwise, why would Tsunade summon them like this? Although the Anbu had simply disappeared after delivering the message, it could not be said that the woman wasn't serious about needing them in her office.

 **Minutes later**

 **Hokage Tower, Tsunade's Office**

Tsunade raised an eye brow seeing the bruises around Kakashi and Naruto's body's. She shook her had thinking that the two had been sparring. Well, she just hoped that they would be able to recover their energy soon because they had to set out in a couple of hours.

Naruto also raised an eyebrow seeing Sakura and Neji already present within the office. He realized quickly that they were being brought here for a mission. If it was something else, Tsunade wouldn't have called them here like this. He sighed; he wasn't expecting to be out on a mission so soon after Jiraiya said that it would be dangerous for him to leave the village with the Akatsuki possibly looking for him.

But for the moment, he was still a Konoha shinobi; he had to move when Tsunade said so. If she wanted him on a mission, he simply could not just say no.

"I brought you here because I have an important mission for Team 7…" Tsunade said.

Sakura looked her remaining teammate and then the sensei before looking at Neji. The Hyuga looked stoic, showed no emotion when Tsunade spoke. She had nothing against the Hyuga but he wasn't a member of Team 7. "If it is Team 7, shouldn't Sai be here as well?" She asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "Sai is no longer a member of team 7. At beast, Team 7 will remain with just three members until Sasuke is convinced to return to the Leaf…" she said those last words for Sakura's mind-set. "Neji will be joining the team because the Byakugan will be useful during the mission."

"What kind of a mission is it?" Kakashi asked.

Tsunade took out a scroll and handed it to the former Anbu captain. "Jiraiya brought information about Sasuke's latest location. I don't know if he is still within the place, but you are to leave by afternoon and infiltrate one of Orochimaru's hideouts within the Sound. Your mission is to retrieve Sasuke, by force should he refuse. You can get any information you can get your hands on about Orochimaru's activities. Jiraiya says it has been reported that he isn't moving around a lot since the time has come for him to change hosts. Sasuke will be his next target; we must get Sasuke before Orochimaru gets him."

Sakura smiled pleasantly upon hearing all that; news about her dear Sasuke has been rare. Whenever she had asked her master about it, the woman has always said shat she doesn't have anything new to tell because Orochimaru wasn't an easy person to track down.

She had gotten the idea that Tsunade was not actually pulling all the strings in an attempt to find her teammate. She wouldn't even be surprised if there was no team that was assigned specifically for that purpose.

In any case; she was happy that they now had a chance to get Sasuke back to the village. She could even show him much she has grown. He had often called her a dead weight and useless – something she accused Naruto of being when the blond contributed to the success of their team as much or perhaps even more than Sasuke.

Sakura looked towards Naruto: the blond Uzumaki showed no reaction to this – there was nothing in his face that he was as excited as she was.

That was just wrong, right? Although she may not admit it to anyone, Naruto and Sasuke had been close. She had envied their relationship at times. So, she expected the blond to be happy about this information.

Kakashi turned to the pinkette and gave her his famous eye smile. The Jonin addressed his team. "I recommend that you prepare yourself for a long journey. We don't know much time this will take. Say your good byes and prepare everything for the mission. We will meet in three hours by the gates."

Sakura nodded before sending a glare at her sensei. "You better not be late, sensei!"

Kakashi looked surprised. "Where did that come from, Sakura?"

"You used to make us wait for hours!"

"Ma ma mah…" The Jonin waved it off dismissively. "I always had a good reason…"

"Yeah… like you stopped to help an old lady." Sakura said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She said nothing further before walking away from the office to go prepare.

Neji followed the medic shortly.

Everyone else left leaving just Naruto and the Godaime Hokage. Naruto had questions to the woman sitting behind the desk of responsibility.

"Why?"

Tsunade acted ignorant in her response. "Why what? If it is about Neji… I have already explained. Yamato? He was just a stand-in since Kakashi was always busy. Besides, this is a personal matter for Team 7. If there are people who can convince Sasuke to return to the Leaf, it is you guys."

Naruto shook his head. He understood those reasons. Sasuke wasn't connected to anyone outside of Team 7. Hell, the Uchiha had been a lone wolf even some members of the Konoha 11 can't call him a friend. Perhaps sometimes it was because he was an ass.

"Why am I being sent out when Jiraiya just told me that it would be dangerous for me to leave the Village because there is a gang of criminals that is potentially targeting Jinchurikis."

It made no sense to simply send him out after learning of this. Unless the Godaime had plans in hand, this was a risky move. But he could understand the need for Team 7 for be the one to take the mission. It was nevertheless, a surprise and curious why Tsunade would allow him out, especially when there was Danzo.

"I have taken precautionary measures in case they appear. You don't need to worry about it; your focus should be on Sasuke." Tsunade said before changing the subject. "I know you were out drinking with your perverted sensei last night… and now this…" she said pointing at the bruises around the blond. "Are you going to be fine?"

Naruto nodded. "I didn't drink too much. Unlike sensei, I know my limits."

Tsunade nodded. "That is at least good." She paused, eyeing her fellow blond carefully. "So, you like woman older than you, huh?"

That was awkward.

Naruto shook his head getting over his surprise over that statement from the Godaime. "You are way too old for me grandma!"

Tsunade formed a tick mark on her forehead before throwing a stack of papers towards Naruto's face.

Naruto laughed. "Don't worry ba-chan… I won't be turning out like Jiraiya. Besides, girls my age don't hang out in such places… they probably go to fancy places on dates… I'm afraid I have never considered something like that." The blond said before disappearing without another word.

 **Kakashi's Place**

The Jonin had already packed up his things; he was sitting by the window, looking at the old photo of Team 7. He was really happy that he could get the chance to try to convince Sasuke to return to the Hidden Leaf.

The kids had tried last time out and had failed. But Kakashi knew that it was Naruto's growth that had scared Sasuke away. Orochimaru's offer for more power hadn't helped matters. Sasuke had always been power hungry. He has always craved for more power to kill his brother for what he did do their clan.

Kakashi had known this but the Uchiha had been turning a new leaf. He had almost died trying to protect Naruto and honestly, he had appeared happy in Team 7. Perhaps one thing that made him a little closer to Naruto even though they constantly bickered was because they could relate in their loneliness.

He really hoped that they could meet Sasuke once more and bring him back to the village. There was a lot of darkness, but the Uchiha has shown that he can be good. He just didn't know how things would go with Naruto.

The Jonin looked up the tree creating a shade over the window; Jiraiya was sitting there, wearing a serious expression on hid face.

"I was going to look for you to ask a couple of questions." The Jonin said. "I know it is good… the mission, but it seems convenient to me that you'd only choose to reveal this information when preparations are being made for Danzo." Not to mention the risk of taking Naruto of the village.

Kakashi was certain that there was something behind the scenes at work. It could even be that they wanted Naruto out of the village whilst they carry out Danzo's elimination. But it would bring questions because last time he checked, Tsunade was happy with Naruto taking part in the mission.

So what could have changed?

"How was your sparring session with Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, opting to ignore Kakashi's question.

"I was taking him seriously." Kakashi said. "His speed has increased and his movements are no longer wasted. He still doesn't have a definitive taijutsu style, but his movements are refined. But I guess it works for him given his large chakra reserves and never ending stamina. He didn't seem to drop a sweat in our session. Then again, the blond has always been a stamina freak. Being a Jinchuriki helps matters and there is the Uzumaki gene to factor in."

Jiraiya nodded, smiling, at least happy that Naruto was able to give Kakashi a run for his money. "The brat trained as if he was training for war. I swear when necessary, he can fight for the whole day without running out of chakra. If he continues to train the way he was, his body will be a battle-trained machine that can take any damage it receives in his prime years." The Sannin shook his head. "To answer your question; I have decided that Naruto shouldn't be involved in the mission. It would pose a major threat to his mental stability. He is exhibiting some indifferent signs that need to be dealt with before he takes on anything serious.

"During this mission, you should also observe him closely. His apparent detachment over some things is worrying. I have already said that Naruto was no longer the same as he was back then. Even I don't know what is inside his head. I'm also interested in how his reaction will be when he does see Sasuke. He has refused to speak about; I think this will also be good for him. Seeing Sasuke should enable him to release whatever he is holding inside his heart."

Kakashi was silent for a couple of moments as he digested what the Sannin had said. "So you are going to carry out the mission in our absence."

Jiraiya nodded. "It is much easier that way." The Sannin said. "We will try to keep Danzo surrounded within the village just to make sure that he doesn't do anything. There is the likelihood that he already has some people on the outside of the village already to check for movements. They might try to take the chance to attack regardless of the odds. There will be Anbu following you; they won't get involved unless it is the Akatsuki attacking. Neji has been brought in to speed about what to expect during the mission.

"Naruto isn't the best sensor, but he isn't stupid anymore. But if he uses Senjutsu, he will know about everything that surrounds him. He may figure things out but I doubt he will abandon the mission. I think he also realizes that he must see and talk to Sasuke to sort out his mental issues."

"What must be done if Sasuke has also changed?" Kakashi asked.

If Naruto was able to change even though he was with Jiraiya, then there was the possibility of Sasuke being corrupted by Orochimaru. The Uchiha has always looked as if anyone could manipulate his actions – as long as that person was powerful and gave him power. There was no doubt Orochimaru would improve Sasuke. The Uchiha was also highly skilled; if Naruto has improved this much, the Uchiha's improvement is bound to be frightening.

In the case of the Uchiha becoming evil, what would he do? Kakashi wanted to save Sasuke, but he didn't miss the fact that the Uchiha could turn on the Leaf and actually try to kill them in the process. If there is a chance of Sasuke becoming any enemy of the Hidden Leaf, they had to do something about it.

"Sasuke has to be brought back by force or willingly." Jiraiya was firm in saying that. "If he does become an enemy of the Hidden Leaf, he will have to be treated as such. At the moment, even though he is in the bingo book, he hasn't done anything to warrant Hunter-nins after him. However, if he does threaten to attack the Leaf, decisive measures have to be taken. We cannot offer him special treatment because he is the last Uchiha. The Leaf is bigger than the revival of a single clan."

 **End Chapter**

 **Writing this one was a little fun. The next one will contain a bit of action but I don't know if I will be quick with the chapter as I was with this one.**

 **I think I responded to most of you who responded. To those I didn't, thanks for the continued support.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called her sweetheart – who was looking down at them from a high point. Finally, she was seeing the boy she loved and kami, he had grown and was still looking delightful. Those were not the thoughts that Sakura should have now, they had to try convince him to ditch Orochimaru and join them back to Konoha.

They had finally made it to him. She was seeing him for the first time since that night he thanked her and then knocked her out. It was a night that convinced her that Sasuke did feel something for her. Because of that night, she believed that they could convince him to go back home where he belonged and where he was loved.

And maybe they could start a relationship… Sakura quickly shook her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about such things.

The Uchiha glanced at the pinkette for a second before looking at his former sensei. Kakashi had taught him something and it was actually used as the base of most his lightning jutsus. In any case, he wasn't going back to these people, if they had come to fetch him or try to convince him to turn back to Konoha. He no longer had any emotional attachment to these people, so he wasn't going to go back to that damned village.

His mission was to find his brother and avenge his clan. No one would get in the way of his revenge, not these people, not Orochimaru. No one.

Seeing them didn't even stir anything inside of him. He felt nothing but cold vengeance that was directed towards his brother. Everyone else was just in the way. Of course he had no plans to give his body away to Orochimaru. He was merely using the snake and he would get rid of him when he has lived his usefulness.

"Sasuke; we don't have to explain to you why we came here…" Kakashi said to the Uchiha. He should know that they were here for him, nothing else. Orochimaru was still a wanted man by Konoha but that wasn't a priority – Sasuke was.

The Uchiha stared at the Jonin for a second before looking towards his former teammate, the loud mouthed blond idiot. Naruto showed him an interesting expression though – an expressionless mask. There were no words even coming out of the blond's mouth. He expected Sakura to say something but the blond would normally be shouting this and that, yet this time around, he was silent as a mute.

Why?

Orochimaru hadn't said anything; he merely informed him that the blond was training with Jiraiya. Sasuke hadn't been interested enough to even ask how the training was going. Even when Orochimaru offered to tell him.

"I have no interest in going back to Konoha, Kakashi." Sasuke responded in a cold tone – it was cold enough to make Sakura cringe.

"So you are going to fight all of us?" Kakashi asked sternly. No matter how far the Uchiha has grown with his training, he couldn't possibly think that he could take all of them, right? But Kakashi would not be surprised, although a genius, Sasuke has had problem with arrogance. It was a beast he was never able to tame during their time back in Konoha. Orochimaru wasn't even a role model in taming arrogance. The Sannin was well known for his pride and arrogance.

Before Sasuke could respond, Neji addressed Kakashi. "The Anbu who have been following us have moved closer. It is reasonable to think they were waiting for this kind of moment to arise before charging in."

Kakashi frowned, even though it didn't show over his masked face. This just meant that they would have to watch over their backs because a lapse of concentration and those people would be sneaking from behind for one fatal blow. They couldn't retreat though, not when Sasuke was just in front of them and no sign of Orochimaru. Although, this was a curious case.

"Just keep an eye on them, Neji. You don't have to move unless they move." Kakashi ordered in a serious tone before turning to Sasuke. "Where is Orochimaru, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha did not respond to the question; he merely vanished from his position within a blink of an eye. Naruto raised an eye brow when the Uchiha appeared in front of him, black eyes staring into his with no emotions at all. The Uchiha's speed had increased; he was perhaps faster than Kakashi. But it wasn't surprising given that the Uchiha had always been fast. His speciality had never been speed. Uzumaki Naruto was a power house, a man with the chakra and stamina to outlive everyone in a fight.

"I did not think you'd still be chasing after me, Naruto…" Sasuke said coldly. "Have you come back for s-"

Sasuke did not get to finish what he wanted to say to the Uzumaki; Naruto's right hand grabbed his face. It wasn't that he hadn't seen it, he had but it had come so unexpectedly and fast that he didn't get the time to react in time to avoid it. The grip was firm. It almost felt as if his face was being gripped by an iron claw. The blond's fingers were digging into his skull, causing him pain.

Naruto's face didn't reveal any emotions; it remained expressionless. "Chasing after you? I did that and you stabbed me in the chest, Sasuke." The blond stated in a same cold tone as Sasuke. "Come back for some more? Do you think you can do it, Sasuke?" Naruto asked in a whisper, right at the Uchiha's ear.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm with his hand, with his teeth gritted together in anger at being caught by surprise by the blond and the lack of physical power to get out of the grip. He wanted nothing more than to literally shock the blond with a dose of lightning and then kick them on his gut, just to show him who is boss.

Before he could release his jutsu, a force of wind slammed into his chest, it wasn't like a punch, just a force that pushed him away from the blond. He would have stuck if he didn't let go of Naruto, he did and was pushed away from the blond. Sasuke figured Naruto sensed the build of chakra and took measures to avoid his jutsu.

It was almost like the old days with him glaring at Naruto.

The blond infuriated him by smiling. "What, you thought were the only one who was learning things?" The blond asked. "Ridiculous, but not surprising since it is you. If you want to come at me to test me, you're welcome to try but I assure you, it will not be as it was last time."

Sasuke glared.

"Naruto!" Sakura said, rushing towards the blond Uzumaki. "We don't have to fight Sasuke-kun if he doesn't want to fight. There is no need to provoke anything; we can talk through this…" the pinkette said. Admittedly, she was a little unnerved by Naruto's tone.

Naruto's face kept towards Sasuke, but his eyes narrowed towards his teammate. Sakura would always be on Sasuke's side, wouldn't she? She loved the Uchiha and since he hasn't done anything 'bad' towards Konoha, she would always try to be gentle with him. Naruto wasn't interested in treating Sasuke like a child. Sasuke was a grown man; he didn't look like a little boy who needed to be treated gently so that he doesn't cry out to his evil brother.

What to do?

He didn't want to be cold to her, but he could. She was being a problem here. She had to learn to rid the atmosphere or else she would not survive. She may as well go home if she was going to be like this.

"I see you're still annoying as ever," Sasuke said to Sakura. "Get this straight; I'm not going back to Konoha!"

Sakura halted every thought in her mind at the thought of being annoying. That was something that Sasuke has always said to her, wasn't it? Quite honestly, it hurt her feelings to hear that from the boy she loved. It has always hurt her, but she could not stop loving that brooding Uchiha, no matter what. Had it been Naruto saying something like that, the she would have rushed over him to smack him but she has never been able to do that to Sasuke.

Thinking of the blond, she had always accused the blond of doing something like that, hadn't she? Was this what he felt when she shouted those words and told him to take a hike? Was this why Sasuke told her that she didn't know anything about being lonely and told her off when she had mouthed off saying that Naruto was an idiot who didn't know anything because he didn't have parents to teach him manners? Being an orphan wasn't a laughing matter, was it?

Perhaps it was time she accepted that if there was someone who could understand Sasuke, it would be Naruto. Circumstances were different but both knew what it meant to be alone in this world. She hadn't realized back then, and she had compounded to it.

Because Sakura was no longer the ignorant girl she had been back then, she quickly got over her hurt and turned towards Sasuke. "Sasuke, I know you care for us… I know… I saw it that night you left, remember what you said to me, Sasuke!" Sakura put on as much emotion in her tone as she could muster.

At this stage, she was even willing to entertain the thought of leaving with him if he did not want to go back to Konoha. For her Sasuke, Sakura would do that.

Yet, her pleading with she boy she loved was met with cold indifference.

"You don't understand anything, Sakura. I don't care for you or anyone in Konoha. Just stop chasing me because I will not return to Konoha."

"Please, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura was now begging.

It seemed to annoy Sasuke than to make him consider how much the pinkette felt about him. He didn't want anything to do with Konoha. He was more concerned about improving himself for the day he has to face his treacherous brother, Itachi. He would not allow anyone to get in the way. No one.

Sasuke disappeared in a blur; the movement was so fast, Sakura didn't see a damn thing before the Uchiha flashed in front of her, with his right-hand flashing towards her face. The beat of her heart quickened in slight fear and it reflected heavily on her expression. Sakura was honestly afraid that Sasuke would harm her just because of the look on his face. He had stabbed Naruto through the chest, wouldn't he do the same to her and the Uzumaki was supposed to be a lot closer to him that her.

Sakura didn't just stand there, even though she knew she was late, she still tried to jump back but it was too late.

Sasuke's open palm suddenly stopped just inches away from her face. There was another appearance; Naruto was standing just on her left, his right hand holding firmly onto Sasuke's arm. The kunoichi breathed a heavy sigh but stopped her movements.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed towards Naruto, but it was the blond who spoke. "What are you doing, Sasuke?"

"What does it look like I'm doing to you?" Sasuke responded in a cold tone. "Let go of my hand, Naruto."

"Or what? You will pierce your Chidori through my chest once more?"

Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life; Naruto's grip on his arm was firm, felt like iron. The blond didn't look like it but he certainly had more physical prowess than him. But Sasuke was certain that he was faster than the blond. Speed had never been Naruto's strength.

"If I do that, I won't miss your heart this time."

"That's amusing, Sasuke. Can you miss a target with the Sharingan guiding you? The only way you can miss when it is your hand that's moving is if I dodge." Naruto said. "Then again, even if with the Sharingan, you have always been a blind and ignorant teme."

Sasuke's eyes left Naruto; the blond hadn't been looking at him. But that wasn't the reason he stopped looking at him. The blond's hold was cutting the flow of blood and chakra towards his hand that made it impossible for him to manipulate chakra. "I see you're not as stupid as you were back then." The Uchiha said before he deactivated his Sharingan.

"And I see Orochimaru hasn't raped your mind int-"

Naruto never got to finish speaking as Sasuke attacked, fast; the Uchiha brought his left arm behind and grabbed his blade before swinging it towards Naruto. He had to go through Sakura first but the pinkette moved quickly by jumping back to avoid the blade. In a split second, just after Sasuke's blade missed Sakura, Naruto used his hold on Sasuke's arm to pull to the Uchiha forward. It was a quick pull meant to bring him off-balance.

Sasuke managed to balance his feet quickly to avoid falling but the movement managed to halt his sword strike. The Uchiha didn't mind it as he was now freed. He wasn't even quick to attack Naruto as he first held out his right hand and had a feel of his fingers; his fingers had seriously been getting cold.

The Uchiha then twisted around quickly, lifting his left foot up towards the back of Naruto's head. Even though he wasn't looking, Naruto still managed to dodge the blow by ducking under the kick. The moment, Sasuke's foot passed above him, Naruto twisted around in attempt to face the Uchiha but when he turned, he found Sasuke's blade flashing towards his chest. The Uchiha wasn't even looking at him when he drove his sword toward him – Naruto cursed the Sharingan for its abilities.

The blond quickly folded two fingers and his thump from his left hand before making motions as he whispered a couple of winds; he was simultaneously doing the same with his right hand. A slight wind force slammed into Sasuke's blade, it had just enough force to divert the blade to the left side, avoiding him. Another wind force slammed into the side of Sasuke's head, making the Uchiha bend his head slightly. There wasn't enough power to do any damage, just enough to impact the Uchiha's movements.

Sakura charged in, her powerful fist heading towards Sasuke. The Uchiha flashed away before the kunoichi could land a hit on him. Even though he was Sasuke, the Uchiha didn't hide his surprise when Sakura's monstrous punch slammed into the ground. Even Naruto was forced to flee when the ground burst as if something heavy had crashed down from the heavens.

When Sasuke landed from the ground, Orochimaru suddenly made his appearance, seemingly appearing from the ground along with Kabuto. "I thought you'd be over this already, Sasuke." The Snake Sannin said, glancing at between Naruto and Sakura. "Are you hesitating because it is your former teammates?"

Sasuke didn't offer a response; he merely looked back at Naruto. The blond had improved. Maybe he could get a much better test of his powers than what Orochimaru has been giving him.

"Naruto we have to consider pulling out…" Kakashi warned the blond. Things had changed drastically with Orochimaru's presence. He wasn't willing to engage the Sannin in a battle. They would lose.

Naruto understood one thing; Orochimaru was a powerful shinobi they had been warned against fighting. Naruto wasn't planning on doing that but he knew if it wasn't Danzo's pets overlooking them, the Jonin would have made an attempt.

"If those Anbu were not here, things would be different, no?" Naruto said to Kakashi. He could fight Sasuke whilst those three fight Orochimaru. Oh, there was Kabuto. The man was ranked a Jonin. But the Anbu also made things very difficult.

"Well, yes…" Kakashi said. "We should have done something before we even got here but I didn't want us doing anything that would leave us vulnerable in this fight."

Naruto nodded. He could understand the Jonin's thinking but had it been him, he would have handled the Anbu before knowing that such a situation was a possibility.

"Give me a minute to remove those Anbu."

"Huh? Don't be thinking about doing anything stupid Naruto!"

When Naruto ignored Kakashi, Sakura sighed. Where they back to this again? Naruto had always done on his own. He hadn't been the one to follow a plan. He had been prone to jump towards the enemy without any thought. She'd thought he would have erased that part of him, but some things never change, huh?

Naruto looked at both Orochimaru and Sasuke for a moment before diving into his thoughts. Not for a moment did he think he could actually win against both Orochimaru and Sasuke without having to use both Senjutsu and the Kyubi's power. But he didn't want to get that far, he could play around with Fuuton for a little while. Besides, he didn't have to fight the two opponents. The only problem in the way of things was the Anbu – who he presumed were Danzo's agents, sent to perhaps attack them.

He just had to get rid of them and things could perhaps be even. Orochimaru didn't even look himself anyway. Last time he checked the snake Sannin wasn't at his best and it was around that time when his body was starting to wear-off. He would need to be moving to another host soon. Sasuke was already at that stage where the Sannin could possess him, but he doubted Sasuke would allow himself to be taken over by the snake.

No doubt the Uchiha has been using Orochimaru for power but the moment the snake shows a moment of weakness, Sasuke was going to pounce. Maybe then, he would feel powerful enough to hunt down his treacherous brother. Naruto didn't care for any of that, for now, he had a mission.

Without much further thoughts, Naruto did a couple of hand seals before slamming his hands on the ground. He reverse summoned a clone loaded with natural energy. Within a second, the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Orochimaru looked interested in seeing the blond Uzumaki's slight changes. He smiled, "Senjutsu?" He said. "I see Sasuke-kun wasn't the only one who was training over the past couple of years."

"Did you expect anything less?" Naruto said in a flat tone.

'Kyubi, a bit of your chakra.' Naruto said to the Bijuu. 'I need it on both legs. I need to move fast enough to catch both Orochimaru and Sasuke off-guard. Sasuke appears to be faster than base me. I don't know about when using Sage Mode, but with a mix of your chakra, I should work out fast enough before they can do anything, even if Sasuke is using his Sharingan.'

Kurama was slightly surprised. 'That would be like going all out,' the Bijuu said. 'Do you want to take them out?'

'No, the Anbu watching us. I have marked down their locations and will be able to move quickly to handle them. Orochimaru and Sasuke are just in the way…' Naruto responded calmly.

Kurama merely nodded before pouring out some of his chakra.

Without a warning, Naruto simply vanished. Both Orochimaru and Sasuke couldn't hide their shock when the Uzumaki simply appeared in front of them. Even Kabuto's shock was evident. No one had a chance to do anything as Naruto's fists slammed into their chests; his left pummelled into Sasuke and the right into Orochimaru. There was an audible sound of bones cracking when the punches connected before the two were blasted away like bullets with blood spewing out of their mouths.

Orochimaru hissed loudly as he felt the air leave his lungs. He was sure there were a couple of broken bones inside. The punch had felt no different than one of Tsunade's punches. It certainly won't be healthy taking another one of those in the kind of condition he was. Hell, even if he was fine, this was the kind of blow that he would do everything to avoid.

When the Sannin finally landed on his knees, he tried to stand up from the ground, but fell down before spitting out more blood from his mouth.

Orochimaru hissed once more. He needed to change bodies quick. He wasn't looking forward to fighting anymore.

Still, if he was able to take so much damage from that punch, what about Sasuke? Orochimaru turned to the side to look at Sasuke: The Uchiha was on his knees, wiping blood off his mouth, but looked hurt than he wanted to show. He looked rather pissed off…

"Kukukukukukuku…" Orochimaru laughed before composing himself. "You shouldn't feel so down Sasuke… That is just the power of Sage Jutsu. Besides, Naruto had also mixed in the power of the Kyubi. A normal person usually cannot stand up to a shinobi who has mastered at art of Senjutsu. Still, it is surprising that Naruto-kun has perfected his Sage Mode when Jiraiya has failed."

"Are you praising him?" Sasuke asked with a glare.

"Well, considering that he was unskilled couple of years ago, it is something to be praised…" Orochimaru said.

The Sannin looked towards the other Konoha shinobi and frowned slightly. Not the perfect time to fight. Well, he didn't have to fight them.

"Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto shouted, checking his master. "That caught even me by surprise… are you okay?"

Orochimaru nodded. "Summon the pets I'd locked down for experiments. They should be able to stall the other Leaf shinobi."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama"

Moments Earlier

Naruto didn't consider attacking Kabuto because he knew that the glass wearing nin would be more focused on Orochimaru than trying to attack him. He could move freely without having to worry about the spy stabbing him in the back, well at least trying to do so.

The Uzumaki didn't even spare the former Konoha nin a glance before once more vanishing. Kabuto could only blink when Naruto disappeared. Everything had happened in an instant that even after Naruto disappeared, the shinobi was still rooted to the ground, having not moved.

There were six Foundation agents hiding in the trees. Naruto didn't need to chase after them by climbing up the trees. He simply appeared below the trees, holding out his invisible wind sword.

"We didn't think that you'd come to us…" one of the foundation agents said as the six surrounded him within seconds of appearing within the trees. "But it doesn't matter; our mission is to capture you. I don't suppose you will come without fighting."

"Amusing…" Naruto responded in a low tone.

The blond wasn't looking at any of them. To be quite honestly, he had mixed feelings about these people. They had caused him pain by playing along with Danzo's schemes. He was going to fight them and they would end dying but Naruto didn't want to think that it was simply doing it for revenge. Perhaps he could pass it off as doing the world some justice. It wasn't a situation of kill or be killed, they wanted him alive.

Naruto shook his head. Did he really need many reasons to justify killing a couple of cold hearted humans? What kind of demon was he?

The first one attacked from behind: the man lunged towards him, a kunai held firmly on his right hand, aimed at the back of his neck. Naruto closed his eyes to focus clearly on his senses. He could see the steady chakra of the other five but they did not move, not until he moved to defend himself against the incoming attack.

Naruto's body twisted clockwise just a bit. His right hand still held firm to his wind blade and he held it on a reverse grip. He as the man's kunai neared him, Naruto tilted his head to the side to avoid the blow. His blade had been waiting, and when the man charged in, he hit the invisible sword and it went through straight his chest. There others could only see blood gushing out; they could not understand what was happening.

Yet, they didn't dwell on it; they all attacked.

Naruto released a small burst of chakra before snapping his left fingers. The air pressure became dense… so much that the Ne agents slowed down slightly. It felt as if there was a pressure coming off Naruto pushing things away from him. It wasn't a powerful pressure that blasted you away but it made breathing difficult. It first felt like that but seconds later, breathing became impossible. It almost felt as if even the air inside of them was being sucked out.

The blade on his right hand dispersed and the man it had pierced started to fall. Before the man fell, Naruto threw five kunais into air whilst making one handed seals to manipulate the air pressure he had created.

The man behind had yet to fall when he muttered his jutsu.

" **Wind Style: Wind God's Presence** …"

The men were slammed into the ground before they could reach the Uzumaki. They slammed down with their faces as if an invisible force had just dragged them down. It had happened in an instant.

Once they were on the ground Naruto raised his right hand. " **Fall**!" The kunais he'd thrown up became coated with wind as gravity attracted them. Naruto took control of them though and the moment he uttered 'fall' they blitzed down in five directions before piercing through at the back of each men through their necks. There was so much speed and power that even Naruto couldn't track them down as they 'fell.' They pierced through their target and imbedded straight into the ground.

Naruto snapped his fingers once more before falling on his knees, both hands on his chest, breathing heavily.

The curse of using a double-edge jutsu.

The Uzumaki didn't get the chance to retain his full breath as two large snakes slithered through the ground charging towards him on different directions. The Uzumaki didn't even get the chance to stand when the snakes reached him. He could only hold out both his hands. The snakes slammed into an invisible wall of wind but they still attempted to push through.

Naruto heard chirping birds and before he could do anything. Sasuke appeared in front of him, Chidori flashing toward his chest.

Naruto didn't even have time to react to it but the Uchiha suddenly looked to his left and directed his jutsu there. A large rock was hurled towards him in great speed. To avoid being hit by the rock, Sasuke slammed his jutsu into it, shattering it.

His movement gave Naruto an opening and he used it effectively; the blond raised his foot from the ground and slammed it to the side of Sasuke. The Uchiha was sent flying into the air when the Kick connected. He was however able to recover quickly by doing a replacement jutsu to go to a safe place.

Naruto was still trapped between the two giant snakes. He needed to move out soon to avoid another attack like that. Someone could attack him from behind.

The Jinchuriki quickly jumped up whilst still holding out his right hand. The moment he got out of way, the snakes hissed dangerously as the slammed into each other. Above the ground, Naruto formed a giant Rasengan before turning to face the two snakes who'd yet to separate.

The blond lunged down in great speed, slamming the jutsu right between the two reptiles. The second the jutsu collided with the snakes, it exploded into a huge explosion of chakra, forcing Naruto to jump away.

Seconds ago with Sasuke

"Jump in Sasuke…" Orochimaru called out to the Uchiha who looked ready to continue with his attack on Naruto once more. Even the though the blond had been impressive so far, Orochimaru still thought Sasuke could win. However, they needed to get out of this place soon. He didn't want this coming into a full blown out battle which had the probability of seeing the Kyubi come out to play.

"Are you thinking of running away?" Sasuke but still jumped over to the sannin who was standing atop of a snake along with Kabuto.

"Fighting is no longer necessary." Orochimaru stated calmly. "I don't want any more surprise-…" the Sannin trailed off before coughing.

Sasuke wasn't surprised. He has been seeing it all lot these days. He never asked but he knew why the Sannin was like this.

"You are looking pathetic as the days pile up…" Sasuke stated in a cold tone, crimson eyes glowing over the Sannin.

Orochimaru merely grinned. "It doesn't help that the Sandaime sealed away my hands inside the Shiningami's stomach. I don't use Ninjutsu and without a part of my soul, I'm in constant pain." The Sannin said. "I'd like to give you a mission to take help me."

"What mission?"

"I will give you the location… but it is in the outskirts of Konoha and you are to go there to get me one of the Uzumaki's treasures…"

"Uzumaki… Naruto?" Sasuke enquired.

"Oh yes, your generation doesn't know but the Uzumaki were a prestigious clan and very powerful. They were destroyed because of that power…" Orochimaru said. "That is irrelevant nonetheless… can you do this for me?"

Sasuke said nothing. He was most focused on the fact that Naruto was also from a clan… there was no other Uzumaki in the Hidden Leaf but Orochimaru did have another Uzumaki with him. Yes, Karin. Naruto never said anything about his clan, which meant he probably didn't know anything as well.

"When do I move?" He asked Orochimaru.

Meanwhile

"That is about the last of them…" Neji said after defeating his last opponent. "It seems as if this is nothing more than a diversion for Orochimaru. Might be trying to escape."

Escape wasn't the right word in the situation, considering that Kakashi knew of the snake's power. But the Jonin wasn't going to dispute it.

"There is no need to pursue…" The Jonin stated calmly. "We'd just get in a tight spot should we do that. Battling Orochimaru was never part of the plan. Hokage-sama had said we must avoid the Sannin at all costs."

"All plans were thrown out of the window when he decided to act on his own…" Neji said of Naruto. "He may be a calmer now but there is that part of him that still remains. Regardless, I think the situation couldn't have gone any better. The moment Orochimaru appeared, everything changed."

Kakashi nodded. "At least no one got hurt…" the Jonin said before sighing. Mission failed but there would be another day. On another note, Sasuke was merely a second mission to what must be done in the Leaf. The mission there was much more important than getting Sasuke back to the Hidden Leaf.

Even though he was watching Sasuke leave, Kakashi wasn't that sad. At least Sakura could see Sasuke. Orochimaru had yet to take him so that presented them with the hope that They could still get them. He would have liked to have talked with the Uchiha but this had to do. They just had to return to the Leaf now. There wouldn't even be a need to hurry. Even if they do take a couple of days to return to the village, there would be no complains.

Kakashi looked at Sakura… the girl already looked depressed. The Jonin sighed. It was going to be a long journey back to the village.

"I thought you were going to pursue…" Kakashi said as Naruto slowly walked over towards them, no longer in Sage Mode.

"I'm not stupid…" Naruto gave a flat response. "Maybe back then I would have but not now. Besides, you weren't giving your all to try to get Sasuke…"

Kakashi merely smiled. "What makes you say that?" He asked innocently.

Naruto shrugged. "Just something I observed." He said. "Doesn't matter now. We saw Sasuke. He hasn't changed much. The bastard would serve well in a Harem in one of Jiraiya's books. He had too many fans when he was younger… I'm sure he will have many… isn't that right, Sakura?"

The girl blinked… well, Sasuke had grown and he was handsome… She had almost blushed when she first saw him after so long…

"See…" Naruto said, pointing at the tainted cheeks of Sakura. "Fan girls…." He shook his head disappointedly.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?!" Sakura shouted. "You know I saved you from being stabbed by Sasuke, right?"

Kakashi smiled. Now that just took away the gloomy cloud that had been hanging over the girl's head. Naruto was really a different person. Not long ago, he would not have been able to read the situation like that.

Yet, he wasn't going to ignore that Naruto had killed six Ne agents. Kakashi would not say anything about it. Not now but it would be on his mission report.

In response to Sakura, Naruto raised his hands, waving them – no harm meant was the message. The blond then turned to Kakashi. "We should head back to Konoha…"

Kakashi responded with nonchalance. "Meh, there is no need to hurry back to the village…" he said.

It was for a split second but Kakashi received a sharp narrowed look from Naruto and the Jonin didn't miss it. It made him slightly worried because if the blond asked questions, he would soon find out that there was something wrong. Luckily for him, Naruto didn't say anything.

The blond just looked up into the sky.

'Why are we still going back to Konoha?' the Bijuu asked. 'If you want to get a piece of the action with Danzo, you have to run now, if not, there is a chance that there will be nothing.'

'I get that feeling as well. If Tsunade and Jiraiya are tricking me, it should be fine. I'm let me trick me… But I will like to hear their reasons. Maybe this is our last journey to the Hidden Leaf as its shinobi…" Naruto said. "We must server our ties with the Toads the moment we leave. If not, they will be able track us down. They are also too nice to be on the evil side of things.'

'I have never liked them anyway.'

'You are just a jealous tenant who only wants me to use his powers…' Naruto was quick to say.

 **The following day**

 **Konohagakure no Sato**

The journey back to the village had been a little eventful due to their slow pace. They didn't look like a team that had just failed its official mission. Well, no one had made any promises to come back with Sasuke. Sakura was just happy that she had been able to see Sasuke.

Along the way, they had concluded that her dear love would not return to the Leaf on his own but would have to forced back. Sakura had to accept that. There was just no way around the issue, even though she really wanted him to come back. Hell, she wouldn't mind being with him. She had offered to go with him back then, but he had refused. If she showed him her strength, would he still refuse? Sakura could not say.

As they reached the gates, Kakashi spoke. "You guys can home to rest… I will report to Hokage-sama…" the Jonin said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Sakura sighed before turning to Naruto. "Does this mean that we will be having Team meetings? I know we are a member short, but we can still manage." There was the hope in her tone and eyes that made Naruto almost lie just to keep her happy.

"It depends on Tsunade…" The blond Uzumaki stated. "Team meetings would be nice though…" he said. "I'm sure you dying to tell your love rival that you saw Sasuke and he looked handsome as always…"

Sakura glared at the blond for a long minute. "At least Sasuke-kun is handsome…" She said. The girl smiled beautifully before speaking once more. "It was nice doing a mission with you once more, Naruto. And the for the first time, I saved you…" she added proudly.

Naruto shared the smile. "You have my thanks, Sakura…" he said that. But she didn't save his life. He could have reacted to at least avoid getting hit anywhere vital by Sasuke's jutsu. He was nevertheless going to allow the girl to have her moment. "I'll see you around, Sakura…" Naruto said waving his right hand.

"Wait, Naruto…" Sakura called. "Can we meet tonight? Just go out, just the two of us… I feel like I owe you…." There was a bit of nervousness in her tone. Perhaps she was thinking about the fact that Naruto has turned down any attempt for them to sit together.

Naruto stared at Sakura for a moment before responding. "Sure… why not?"

 **Hokage office**

Tsunade and Jiraiya were drinking within the office. It was a rare sight. Not Tsunade drinking on duty but doing it with Jiraiya within the Hokage tower. Kakashi didn't even have to ask if they'd completed their mission. The fact that the village was oddly quiet and they were drinking like this meant that they had carried out the assault.

"You came back empty handed…" Tsunade said to the former Anbu captain. "Not that I did not expect it… How did it go?"

Kakashi handed in his mission report, including that of Naruto's actions in killing Foundation shinobi. "How did things go on your part?"

"Brutal…and bloody…" Jiraiya said with a shake of his head. "He was waiting for us and the freak had 10 Sharingans implanted on his right hand. 10 Sharingans and he kept coming back to life." The Sannin stated before asking. "Where is Naruto?"

Kakashi shook his head. "You may want to speak to him soon. I think he suspects something and I have a feeling his reaction to this will be mixed."

Jiraiya didn't doubt that for a second but he did what he thought was best for Naruto. The blond might disagree but it would not change anything. Naruto would be allowed to make his own decision but Jiraiya would not shy away from trying to protect him if he thought there was a need. There had been a need to do this time around and he had done it. Danzo had taken care of and Naruto was spared from having to take part in a senseless bloodshed.

He was saying that because even though they had surrounded the war hawk, the man had still refused to go down without a fight. It was senseless to do so in the situation but they had still had to through it.

"I will talk to him later on…" Jiraiya said before falling silent.

Kakashi merely nodded. He thought of telling them about Naruto but he shrugged. It was in the report. They would read it and if they wanted to hear anything from him, they could always ask him.

 **Later that day**

 **Naruto's Apartment**

Jiraiya didn't get why Naruto still chose to stay in the apartment even though he could afford a better place than this. The apartment was a crappy place, if it has still been back then when he was still a brat, one could understand but he was older now and could move freely without having to worry about anything. Naruto had yet to even replace the furniture within here.

Perhaps this place held some sentimental value.

The Sannin found Uzumaki sitting by the kitchen table, staring into the empty space ahead of him. His headband was put on the table. It was often that Naruto removed his headband but this signified something.

"You look depressing again…" Jiraiya said to Naruto as he walked over.

Naruto faced his sensei before responding. "I'm thinking about things…" the Uzumaki said. "I have always allowed you to do things at your own pace, sensei. I have kept quiet even though I had questions and waited on you to tell me things. My thinking was simply that I trusted you, sensei. I still do. However, we need to talk about my parents. I asked you back then and you only spoke about the Uzumaki. That had kept my mind occupied for long enough, but you must speak now."

Jiraiya stared. "What makes you think I'd know something?"

Naruto returned the stare. "In a couple of minutes, I will be going out… I'd prefer if you didn't waste time…"

Jiraiya wore a serious mask on his face. "Uzumaki Kushina… that was your mother. Your father was Minato… the Yondaime Hokage. The Sandaime Hokage felt it was for your own safety that you didn't know. Kakashi knows, Tsunade knows, the clan heads know. Some other people might know as well." The Sannin paused to see Naruto's reaction but there was none. "Are you not going to say anything?"

"What can I say?" Naruto asked. "Do you know how many nights I stayed here, sleepless, trying to figure out who my parents were or if he was really a demon spawn. I asked the Sandaime so many times, but not even once did he feel the need to tell me anything… not even my mother, even though records of her existence are no longer present for everyone…" The blond got up. "Thank you for everything, sensei. You taught me so much, showed me many things about life and I will always thank that. I won't ask you why you had to get rid of me to do the mission involving Danzo because after everything you have done for me, you deserve at least that."

If anything, it felt as if the blond was saying goodbye. The headband was still on the table even though he was leaving.

"Where are you going, Naruto?"

"Dinner, with Sakura..." Naruto said. "I do take pride in the headband but just for this once, I just want to be a normal person. I don't want to be a shinobi. There won't be another one but that doesn't mean I mustn't enjoy it…"

 **Two Hours Later**

To be quite honest, it had been a rather eventful night with Naruto. She had been insisted on not calling it a date with Naruto because it would feel as if she was betraying Sasuke. At that thought, she smiled bitterly. Betraying Sasuke? She wasn't even in a relationship with him and he barely even acknowledged her. She had been an annoying teammate, a dead weight who was never a help in their missions, always needed to be saved, did nothing but yell at Naruto whilst blowing kisses towards Sasuke.

A truly bitter memory.

Naruto has been saying; it is the past. She was no longer the same girl she had been back then. She was a real Kunoichi now. A damn good one for that matter. What was outstanding was her medical Ninjutsu. Well, she had learned from the best there was.

"Isn't it something… we have all learned for the legendary Sannins…" Sakura said. They two were walking within the brightly lit streets of the Hidden Leaf. Naruto was walking her home. "I just hope our stories turn out differently."

"We will turn out differently. We are not like them in any way even though we have learned from them. Perhaps we are supposed to take ideals of our masters, but circumstances are different and all they can do is Impart their knowledge on us…" Naruto said. "Sasuke would never become like Orochimaru. Maybe he has been cold, but he isn't a heartless person."

Sakura nodded at that. "I know…" She said.

Naruto walked in front of Sakura and stopped her – he gave a sad smile with his head tilted to the side. "Sakura… Team 7 was my life. I had so many happy memories because it. It would not have happened if not for Iruka-sensei. You were a part of the people that made me feel human…" the blond smiled. "You know what I just learned tonight? You should know that the Yondaime Hokage was the one who sealed the Kyubi inside of me… ever since I told you about it, have you considered why?"

Sakura blinked; she had honestly never given it much of a thought. Looking at those blue eyes, blond hair… Looking at him clearly without his forehead protector, he could pass off as a relative to Konoha's Greatest Hero. The pinkette shook her head. It simply could not be.

"I have never wondered why…"

Naruto continued smiling. "I did and always asked the Sandaime but he never told me anything…" the blond said. He decided against telling the girl anything. He was still in the process of dealing with everything himself. "Thanks for the good time and good night, Sakura." The blond waved his right hand before disappearing along gusts of winds.

 **Hokage Monument**

Life was something else, wasn't? Not long ago, he was in the village, crying for it to recognize him, wishing he could be the greatest, even greater than the man called the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. But today, as he stood here, atop of this monument, he was going to leave this village, turning his back on it, and even though the man he wished to surpass has turned out to be his father. The thought truly brought a bitter sweet memory. He'd always wanted to know who is parents were. He could ask the Kyubi about his mother.

He knew the Kyubi was sealed within someone within the village and Jiraiya has stated that all the Bijuu's Jinchurikis have been Uzumaki. The first one was the Shodai's wife… then second one could have been his mother, which could explain his use of Uzumaki.

He would have more time to deal with it in the next couple of years in seclusion. Being bitter and obsessing about it now won't change anything but he could deal with his emotions regarding his exit from the Leaf. It would have been fine if they hadn't excluded him in the mission to deal with Danzo. Demanding questions regarding it wouldn't change anything and he could somehow understand Jiraiya's line of thinking towards the decision.

Glancing down at the streets once more, an expressionless mask settled on Naruto's face as he turned away.

'Sayanora, Konoha."

 **Two Weeks Later**

Sasuke walked into Orochimaru's room with a mask on his right hand. The snake Sannin was sitting up on the bed, his condition wasn't getting any better.

"You took your time…" Orochimaru said to Sasuke.

"It wasn't easy getting with Leaf shinobi all over the place…" Sasuke responded calmly. "Do you know what happened?"

Orochimaru couldn't help but grin before responded. "It appears that Naruto-kun has disappeared for Konoha. I believe after the mission, he went back to Konoha to say goodbye and then went off without a trace."

To say Sasuke was surprised was an understatement. He was shocked. That Naruto leave Konoha? The blond who had always been preaching about wanting to become Hokage one day had abandoned the very same village he vowed to lead to anyone who cared to listen? Sasuke could not believe it. It was just ridiculous.

The blond been trying to get him back to the Leaf and he now he abandons it? What the hell was going on?! Thinking of it, Naruto had never said anything about taking him back to Konoha. There only thing Sasuke could remember were insults .

But that was nothing unusual.

Why would Naruto even leave the Leaf anyway? Sasuke simply could not figure that out. He could not understand why someone who had loved Konoha as much as Naruto had would suddenly leave it.

"Who did he leave with?" Sasuke demanded with narrowed eyes.

"Alone… It appears that he followed anyone. He left by himself and I don't think it is to join any other village. He hasn't surfaced anywhere… I believe he will be hiding, if he knows that the Akatsuki is after him…" Orochimaru responded calmly. "Now hand over the mask."

Sasuke looked stone faced. Handing over the mask meant that Orochimaru could return to his powerful self. And he would be stuck being the Sannin's pet.

Naruto was alone. He was doing things by himself. And yet he was here sulking up to Orochimaru. Wasn't he better than the blond?

Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life.

It was now or never. Sasuke could not be following Orochimaru around whilst Naruto runs alone, independently without anyone's assistance. Things had to change for him as well. Besides, what more could Orochimaru give him? He has learned what he can from the Sannin. It was time to move on with his life.

"Orochimaru, it is time I separated from you"

"Kukukukukukukukuku…!" Orochimaru laughed madly. "I had a feeling this day would come, Sasuke-kun."

 **Konohagakure**

Tsunade had never felt so miserable, not since the she lost her loved one. Naruto had been drifting away from her, emotionally, but he had been here in Konoha and she could see him at any time she wanted. She hadn't worried much even though things had changed because she had thought, no matter what, Naruto would always be a Hidden Leaf Shinobi.

Danzo would have been celebrating saying I warned you that he would leave the village. Tsunade thought of the war Hawk with contempt. It was good that he was gone. He would probably be trying to find Naruto just so he could brainwash him.

Still, this was a disaster. How could the son of Konoha's greatest hero abandon the very village his father and mother had died protecting? Tsunade wasn't going as far as to say that Naruto had spat on his parents' sacrifice. No, the Hidden Leaf did that when it chose to hate him and see him as nothing more than the Kyubi reincarnate.

In the end, the blond left Konoha without saying a damn thing. Tsunade would have been less worried if he had bothered to say goodbye but he did not. He just disappeared from the village without a trace. There was no letter explaining his reasons for departure, just a headband left on his kitchen table.

Had it not been Sakura saying that Naruto's words to her had really sounded like a goodbye when she thought of it, they would have realized it a little too late. Well, it didn't change anything anyway. There was still no sign of Naruto and none of their allies have said anything about seeing the blond.

"Tell me you have good news, Jiraiya!" Tsunade spoke in a hardened tone the moment the Sannin appeared in her office through his usual entrance.

"Got nothing. Not a damn thing. But I will go back again. I just came to tell you that until Naruto returns, I won't come back to Konoha. I will spend my whole looking for him!"

Tsunade stared at het former teammate for a couple of seconds before nodding. She should have known that he would be the one most affected by this. He was looking better than her.

"Are we sure no one took him?" Tsunade asked cautiously. Although everything they has determined that Naruto had left the village alone, they could not rule out the thought of the blond being taken by someone else.

"I doubt it." Jiraiya said.

"Can't you find him with the help of the Toads."

Jiraiya's mood turned south. "He no longer has a relationship with the Toads. They wouldn't tell me how but they said he severed his contract after they refused to write him off."

"Oh…" Tsunade could not find anything to say after that. The fact that he had done that just meant that he didn't want to be found. This also brought the possibility that he may have severed his ties with the Hidden Leaf as well.

Thinking of it, Tsunade's mind went blank.

 **A Week Later**

Somewhere at the centre of the Sea, Naruto was standing stop of the water, wearing nothing but short pants. Just away from where he stood, there was a large ship floating within the water. This was a place he was going to learn train. There would be no land to stand on, each day he fought; he would have to be constantly channelling chakra through his feet to stay afloat.

It didn't matter if it was a training of taijutsu or Ninjutsu; everything had to happen within the water. With the kind of jutsus he wanted to learn, there was no way he could hide anywhere in the Elemental Nations. This place would not only offer security from shinobi but it would be good for him in terms of learning how to control his chakra.

Using Fire based jutsus would be difficult in this kind of environment, but he had no other choice other than to do it this way.

'You do know that if you drown, you are dead.'

Naruto looked down at the bottomless sea. Certainly, if he were to lose consciousness, he was going to be dragged down into the water and death would welcome him. There was no say he could not avoid falling down out of chakra exhaustion or getting hit by his clones. He just had to provide security in case such a situation occurs.

'I know… as I develop special Bunshin, I will keep what I already on the lookout. I will also loosen up the seal slightly in case such a thing happens.'

'If the opportunity comes for me to take control over your body, don't you I will do and shut you out?'

'That is a possibility but I trust you to be a Bijuu not a treacherous demon or a backstabbing human.' Naruto said to the Kyubi in a firm tone. 'We have come this far, I should trust you with my life. Perhaps you are the only one I can trust with my life from today henceforth. I mean, you were inside my mother before moving into me.'

'Don't be trusting like that…'

Naruto smiled. 'Not to humans.' He said. 'Let us get this training started. I must be a god by the time I finish things here.'

 **End of Chapter**

I had troubles trying to complete this one. I even wrote chapter 7 and completed it without this completed. It was difficult because I think it was showing a different side of Naruto. In any case, I hope it wasn't that bad.

I think I had responded to queries that came through reviews… if I missed anything, you can Pm me and I will try to respond. Generally, the reaction was good to the last chapter just that Naruto appeared weak in the sparring session against Kakashi and there is the lack of humour. With Uzumaki Tales and Mother's Knight, we never actually get to see Naruto fight at his best, but I think this is a story about Naruto fighting against the Elemental Nations, on his own; there will not be a shortage of power.

I will try to update chapter 7 on Monday.

The Omnipresent Sage


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Konohagakure no Sato**

 **Five Years Later**

The last years have not been kind on his body but Jiraiya was still alive and still kicking. He has tried everything to keep in shape, but the he wasn't as flexible as he had been. The fact that he could no longer fight as he used to in his prime days didn't worry him as much as the fact that it has been five years and he has yet to find any signs of Naruto. The stress of being unable to find the blond was getting to him, the constant drinks, travelling around the world looking for any signs of his blond godson.

For four long years, Jiraiya could not even get a whiff of the blond's whereabouts. The first year he did go to Konoha but from the second year, he never visited the Hidden leaf. It has always been worries and the hunt for Naruto that kept him busy. He had no success and at times, it felt as if he was chasing something that was already dead. There was really no telling if Naruto was still alive. The toads would have been able to tell, but Naruto had since severed his contract with them and then just vanished. He had looked everywhere in the Elemental Nations but there had been no signs of Naruto.

The Sannin had even entertained the thought that perhaps Naruto was no longer within the Elemental Nations. It was a possibility but there had been nowhere to start in other nations. Uzu was still a ruin, with no signs of life. So, Naruto could not be in his ancient home.

The only breakthrough that came was when his spies informed him that there was a rumour of someone fitting the description he had set out – it was basically the Yondaime Hokage but with whisker marks. Even though they'd set up camp within the location, they themselves never saw the blond reincarnation of Minato. Yet, they would still hear of the blond making an appearance.

The place was a huge underground facility between the borders of Kusagakure no Sato and Takigakure no Sato. You could spend a whole month without seeing the sun within the facility. Shinobi from all corners of the world came here to rest; there was no check when getting inside, shinobi from enemy villages could get in without any problems. The place was neutral but there was a dangerous rule; no fighting permitted. From what Jiraiya has managed to gather, those who brought their disputes into the facility were either 'punished' by death or taken to a secret arena where they would fight till death.

A brutal rule but there seemed to be fear of it that people managed to be civil, well, as civil as it could be in a place where drunk shinobi from all nations came to rest and have fun.

Regardless, the place was somewhat peaceful, if you went to a place where there was quietness.

It was not just a place for fun only; apparently, information wasn't scarce in this place. The Toad Sage looked around the second level hall, he couldn't even name anyone he knew, but he could see different headbands. None from the Hidden Leaf.

Information and rest weren't the only commodity. The women in the facility were rumoured to be graceful and seductively but nothing underage.

Jiraiya took a stool in front of the bar and ordered his drink. "I'm seeing you for the first time, Jiraiya-sama…" the barman said to the Sannin.

It wasn't surprising that someone knew him. He was a legendary shinobi after all. Well, that legend appeared to be dying with the war times. People were busy enjoying their peaceful days a forgetting about the days of the old. Even the Akatsuki had been silent, not making any movements.

It didn't mean that there was peace. Far from it. Once the Akatsuki was able to track down the blond, they would be moving and the Hidden Villages would be in panic. This peace, it was nothing that would last just a prelude to the impending doom.

The Sannin smiled. "First time…" He said. "When did this place open? I know many bars around the Elemental Nations but there isn't anything like this. There is not even a village around…"

"Months ago…" the barman responded calmly. "We don't see many Leaf shinobi around here… there is, but not that many."

Jiraiya wasn't surprised at that. He hasn't been going back to Konoha and he has only been sending messages to Tsunade but she had no way to contact him. The Sannin didn't waste time to talk about what he had come here for… He was here for information and he would leave with information.

"I want to know about 'the boss…' They told me this is the right place in the 1st level."

"There isn't much to tell… He rarely makes appearances and when he does, always stays in the 3rd level…" the barman said. "Entrance is rather strict. You have VIPs there… and the rules are rather strict."

That was all the man said to Jiraiya.

In the end, Jiraiya couldn't get anything on Naruto. He didn't care about dirty lords whoring around in the secret level, he just wanted to find Naruto. Anything else was secondary.

Because he hadn't found any information he was looking for, Jiraiya decided to stay around for a bit longer than he intended. Who knows? Maybe one day, Naruto would show up.

 **Konohagakure no Sato**

Naruto was walking through the busy streets of the Hidden Leaf. He was dressed in a long black sleeveless coat with a hood over his head to hide himself from the eyes that watched this village.

It has been quite some time, hasn't been? Maybe for these people it might be just five years, but for Naruto, it was many years. The experiences he had with his clones, the hours of memories he had to absorb on a daily basis, and practice what his clones practiced, it had been too much, sometimes even made him think he was going to lose his mind. It was an experience he had to go through, for the sake of power. There was no other reason that made him suffer day and night aside from trying to gain god-like powers that would leave him without an equal within the Elemental Nations.

It was power for a purpose and a purpose that would see this world turn upside. There was peace, but it was nothing more than calm before the before the storm.

'Being at a place like this, where I can feel so many chakra signatures, so many lifeforms, it makes me feel somehow…' Naruto said to the Kyubi. 'Then again, aside from the Emperor's Palace, I have not been with humans in the past five years.'

Kurama did not offer a response to Naruto. But the blond spoke once more. 'Fighting the Akatsuki and the Hidden Villages will be difficult… even with all my power. There is still much to learn anyway.'

'You have made the right choice to focus on the Akatsuki. As long as they are in the hunt they will always be a problem. Keeping out of site of the Hidden Villages will give you free mobility and you will avoid needless battles…" Kurama responded calmly. 'Of course, now that you are walking in the open, Konoha will be able to chase after you. When we came out, the Akatsuki started moving as well.'

The said organisation had some super skills in tracking down Jinchurikis within the Elemental Nations. He had returned and tried to gather intelligence regarding what was the state of the Elemental Nations but somehow, they had managed to get a whiff of his presence. Not precise location but that he was around. Then again, he'd only been avoiding people from Konoha.

It should be a joy tangling with the Akatsuki. They were a group of S-ranked criminals. They were powerful but their mysterious leader had to be even more powerful to be able to keep so many of them in line.

'If I wasn't a Jinchuriki, I'd probably join them just to test things and discover their motive…" Naruto said. 'But as things stand, we are natural enemies.' The blond paused. 'I was hoping to get some ramen first before being found.' He said, sensing the shinobi watching him.

Without waiting for Kurama's response, Naruto flashed towards a secluded area to avoid causing a commotion.

It took a minute for the Godaime Hokage to appear in front of him along with a squad of Anbu. Naruto was a little surprised that she was still acting as the leader of the Hidden Leaf. Surely, Kakashi should have taken over by now… Was there no one really capable of ascending to the throne that Tsunade would still continue? It wasn't that she was too old to be Hokage but he didn't think with her personality, she would want to sit on the chair of responsibility until she became as old as her sensei.

He did hope that his 'friends' had grown though – in terms of power at least. There was nothing wrong with their attitudes, they just lacked in terms of raw power. Really, if they didn't improve, they would not even be able to stand in his shadow. Fighting them would even be like bullying them.

"Hello, Ba-chan…" Naruto said the first words. "I didn't think you'd pick up my presence so soon… especially when I'm doing everything I can to suppress my chakra."

"When you entered the village, we were immediately able to know that you'd crossed in…" Tsunade said to Naruto.

She was looking at the blond with an expressionless mask on her face. She wanted nothing but to talk to Naruto just ask where he has been over the past years and then slam him into ground for making her feel depressed for all these years. She had been worried sick but she still could not hurry up to him to hug him. She didn't even know where he stood. There were many things she wanted to know but she still had to be cautious.

This person she had loved had suddenly disappeared without saying a word. He had severed his contract with the Toads. There was no way to go back about it and that could mean a declaration of Change in alliance. If he didn't want to be found, he could have just talked to the Toads to keep his location a secret. From what Jiraiya said, they would have honoured his request.

Not now anyway. They were apparently rather pissed off at the blond.

"That's new…" Naruto responded calmly. "I thought it was only meant to detect shinobi who are not of the Leaf."

"You left your forehead protector, it was reasonable to think you quit being a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf."

Naruto smiled before removing the hood. He was rather pleased with Tsunade's resolve. He had not been expecting her to show such a strong façade but it made him happy seeing it nonetheless. It just meant that she could remain strong even with what was about to come.

"It is good seeing you again, Tsunade. I have to say, there were days I thought of you but I taught myself to forget…" Naruto said with a small smile.

"Where have you been Naruto?!" Tsunade could not contain herself anymore. She shouted, her tone hardened and a bit of killing intent to let Naruto know she was dead serious.

"There and there… Never really stayed at one place for too long... each environment is conducive for something…" Naruto responded without giving many details. "Yes, I did quit being a shinobi of Konoha. I merely came to check if I still have any attachments to the village whilst killing time."

There was nothing in his tone that suggested he was kidding but Tsunade had gone through many of these scenarios in her heart over the past years, she didn't feel any surprise. She had to have been rational. Even though she was worried, there was a chance that Naruto had followed Sasuke's footsteps. He hadn't been the same blond brat who'd convinced her to return to the Leaf.

Wasn't it ironic that the person who convinced her to return with his ambitions to become Hokage was now stating he had turned his back on the very same village? If not for the thought that there was a whisper in her mind that was telling that it was all just a dream, Tsunade would have laughed bitterly at the irony.

Even when Naruto mentioned he was no longer a part of the Leaf, Tsunade didn't feel like ordering her Anbu to move in to apprehend the boy she'd come to see as her grandson. She still stared at him, waiting for him to give her a good explanation but it did not come. Naruto simply stared back at her.

"What happened to you, Naruto?" The Godaime Hokage asked the blond, her tone a little subdued. Naruto almost pitied her at how miserable she sounded but he could not afford to be giving away his pity.

"A lot of things happened. It doesn't matter much at the moment. I'd come to look at the Hidden with a friendly look for one last time…" Naruto said. "I will see you soon, Ba-chan."

"Wait! I don't really care what you have been doing Naruto but I will not allow you to leave this village." The Godaime said. "Naruto, please…" Tsunade pleaded with the blond Uzumaki. "We mustn't do anything unnecessary. You haven't done anything wrong, just come with me to my office and we can talk about this. Please Naruto."

Naruto shook his head silently. Although he pitied the woman, there was no emotion expressed on his face, just expressionless. "I can understand that you have so many questions, perhaps some pent-up anger over my decision to disappear. But sitting with you will not change anything. I've already said, I'm no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. Nothing will change that."

Tsunade fell silent. It was as if her whole world was crashing down on her. She really didn't want to think about this too deeply but she had to make a choice because it was apparent that Naruto didn't want to come peacefully. Did she really have to use force to smack some sense into his mind? He was obviously not in his right mind. It couldn't be because of how the villagers treated him, she knew that wasn't the case. Even though they had made living a hell for him, he'd never hated them.

That fact alone was enough to make her wonder what sort of brick hit his head if he is willing to leave the Hidden leaf when being hated by the villagers for much of his life couldn't force him to abandon it. If he had left because of that, Tsunade would have found it somewhat understandable but that doesn't mean she would have accepted it.

"I don't want to use force, Naruto… so this is your last warning." Despite her internal battle, Tsunade still managed to put a steel mask on his face as she spoke.

"You're welcome to try." Naruto responded with a smile. He then raised his index finger. "But I'd rather not get into a fight with Konoha at this time. Nevertheless, if you want to fight me, I will fight you."

Tsunade was surprised to hear those words from Naruto. Had he been like this before? Did he really think that he could fight all the Anbu and every shinobi within the Village? Ridiculous. It has only been five years and unless he was planning to go full Kyubi, he could not possibly fight all of them. He was in his prime years, but Tsunade didn't think the blond person in front of her could have enough power to do what he had just said.

The Godaime looked at the bandages covering both the blond's arms. She looked up, the bandages appeared to cover even around his chest because she could see some around his neck. It wasn't fashion, was it? He bulked slightly, but he wasn't buffed up to say he had been hard on physical training. His gaze looked intense though, but Tsunade still didn't see anything frightening.

"Do you really think that you can fight us when you couldn't even defeat Kakashi, Naruto? Have you become that arrogant?" Tsunade said with disappointment. She expected more from the blond.

"Arrogant?" Naruto asked. "I have climbed beyond the realm of just a shinobi, Tsunade. The power that I possess cannot be measured against anyone in this village. Not you, not Jiraiya and certainly not Kakashi. You are not even as young as you were back then. Fighting you wouldn't even be fair."

Naruto didn't think he was exaggerating when he said those words. The strongest people he had known in the Leaf where Tsunade and Jiraiya. But both where way past their prime years. Tsunade might still look good, but that was nothing more than an illusion. Tsunade could not fight him, in terms of power, she had nothing on him. If she was coming to him alone, Naruto would not fight her, and he liked her too much to give her a beating.

Tsunade displayed her displeasure at Naruto's words but she did not get to say the first words – her Anbu did.

"Uzumaki, you have become full of yourself…"

"Perhaps, but if you're not going to move… you will not be a-"

Naruto was cut off when Tsunade lunged towards him like a rocket. There had been nothing but dust when she disappeared, rushing towards the with her right punch heading towards the blond's chest.

Naruto held out his right hand, its palm open. Boom! Tsunade's powerful fist collided with the palm of Naruto's hand. The force behind the punch caused the ground underneath Naruto to shutter within seconds and yet Naruto didn't move a muscle.

Tsunade's shock was evident in her face. Naruto had blocked her punch just like that? It would have been enough to put anyone out of commission and yet he blocked it with just one hand without moving a muscle?!

"I will not fight you… but if you insist, we will fight but not today…" Naruto said before disappearing along gusts of winds.

"Naruto!" Tsunade roared. She blurred towards the Hokage Monument, trailing her Anbu who'd moved before she could. The blond was standing atop of Minato's head, his back facing the Hidden Leaf.

"You're not going anywhere, Naruto!" Tsunade shouted, ordering her Anbu to make a move.

The masked men didn't get to move towards the Uzumaki; a terrifying breeze of chakra rooted them to their place. It wasn't a violent release, just a cold feeling that made their hearts tremble in fear of the overwhelming power that had a silent doze of killing Intent.

Where Naruto stood, there were visible cracks.

"We will certainly talk soon, Tsunade. But it will not be today. When I do come, prepare the best bottle you have in your stash." Naruto said. "The Akatsuki has been on my tail since I returned to the Elemental Nations but I have always avoided them. Two of their members are currently towards Sunagakure. They must be going after the Kazekage. My appearance here was to kill time and wait till they make their move."

For a second, Tsunade thought of bursting out in laughter when Naruto said those words. The brat was talking about hunting down members of the Akatsuki? He must know that they were S-rank criminals. Did he really think that he could take them down by himself? Did he lose his mind during his time away? He hadn't been like this when he left the village.

"Have you gone insane, Naruto?!"

"You think I can't do it…" Naruto said with a smile. "Oh well…" With that said, the blond disappeared without a trace.

Just like that, he was gone. Tsunade could only blink because not even the Anbu seemed to know what to do as they could not track down his scent. For a second, Tsunade thought of sending them to look for him but she decided against it. With the way things went, chasing after him would only cause them a problem.

The slug princess hadn't really thought that her reunion with Naruto would end up like this. It was really a painful experience but she should have prepared herself for it because it has been five years since they last saw the blond and he hadn't said a damn thing when he disappeared. He was plotting or after something, they had to find out what it was that he was planning.

Perhaps now that Naruto was back in the open, her teammate would return to the Hidden Leaf. She had truly missed him dearly. She could understand he was suffering but at least her kept in contact by sending her letters to inform her of his movements, Intel he came across and just the nothingness he encountered on his journey. Tsunade hadn't been too hard on him about not returning. He was better left searching for the blond.

Tsunade sighed at the thought.

But with Naruto back, he should be able to return to Konoha. She would not even need to send him a message, he would return once he has heard of what has happened. Maybe only a few would be told that Naruto made an appearance, but there was no way that it would not reach her former teammate's ears.

 **Near Sand Borders**

As he hopped through the trees, Naruto was fully aware that he was being pursued and he knew it wasn't Konoha Shinobi but the Akatsuki. This wasn't the right time for him to be hunted down by them. He wanted to hunt the members who were after the Kazekage. This would only stop him on his path should he engage in a battle. He could get to Suna already and in the condition his body was in, four S-ranked shinobi within hours would not do him any justice.

The hunter becoming hunted, huh? Well, it has always been like this. The group had always been after him for the Kyubi. He had just thought since he too was now hunting them down for death he had become the hunter and they the prey. It made not much difference anyway.

He could increase his speed but they would still follow him and allowing them to get to Sunagakure would not be a smart move on his part. It was best to just see where this was going before deciding on whether he was setting the forest on fire before fleeing. Should the Akatsuki get Gaara, it would mean they have begun on their mission. What was important was to stop them from beginning. If he became a thorn, they would be forced to focus on him and he could deal with them smoothly without having to think of other Jinchurikis.

Naruto came to a halt on a tree branch. He turned around to face the incoming pursuers with an expressionless mask on his face. It took about five minutes but the red clouds finally appeared before him.

It was the same duo that had attacked him when he was going after Tsunade. Back then, Jiraiya had stepped in and they had fled. Yes, Sasuke had even made an appearance to face his brother but he had only been traumatized. It had been the first time he was seeing the elder Uchiha and he certainly didn't think he would be seeing the man once more again so soon.

But this must mean that these two are assigned for him. Well, it could make sense with Itachi a former Konoha shinobi and Kisame a man known for his massive chakra reserves. He hosted the most powerful Bijuu, so this team was perhaps well suited for him.

Kisame grinned, seeing Samehada tremble in joy upon sensing Naruto's chakra. The blond wasn't even trying to hide his massive reserves. Kisame thought he had an outrageous amount of chakra but compared to what he was feeling off the blond, it was nothing.

He hadn't even seen his sword this excited before.

"Itachi… he certainly looks different from back then…" Kisame said to his partner. It was something else to think that this was the same brat they had nearly captured years ago. But then again, it has been about 8 years since that happened. A lot has had to change. "I don't think I can hold myself."

Itachi inwardly shook his head. Kisame really loved fighting strong opponents. The feeling Naruto was giving off was just damn oppressive that even he had to admit that he had never felt something like it by just being near a shinobi. There was no sign of the Kyubi's power, just the blond's pure chakra.

This feeling didn't make Itachi excited as Kisame. It made him wary of the Uzumaki. He needed to find out where the blond's loyalties lied. He simply could not allow someone as powerful as this person to continue walking freely when he could be a danger to Konoha. Perhaps holding back on his day with Sasuke had been the right choice.

Less importantly was stopping the blond from disturbing Deidara and Sasori's mission. This was something they had to do well.

"Don't do anything… Kisame…" Itachi warned. He was even willing to use his doujutsu to get his partner to behave. "I want to talk to him before we do anything." The Uchiha said stepping forward.

"Don't take too long… I won't make any promises if you make it long."

With the Mangekyo Sharingan activated, Itachi faced Kisame for a second. Those words the man had said worried him. It was apparent that he would do as he had just said. Itachi had to guard against that.

Seeing Itachi move towards him, Naruto jumped to the ground. He landed silently but did not move further. He simply stayed his ground. "Itachi Uchiha… it is such an honour to face you like this. If you are still alive, then Sasuke has yet to get his revenge. His hatred must be bottomless by now…" when he paused, there was no reaction from Itachi. "Out of curiosity, how were you able to find me so quickly?"

"It was obvious that you would go back to Konoha so we just had to keep an eye and wait for you…" Itachi said before activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.

Although there was no change in the physical world, Naruto knew he was in a Genjutsu. A simple look from the Uchiha and he had been caught. If he was really dense towards illusions, he would have missed this one.

"Sharingan Genjutsu…" Naruto said looking around. "Outstanding." The blond marvelled at the level of detail. Everything looked so real and the senses could easily be fooled. It was just fortunate because he wasn't a lessor man. Still, this genjutsu was just something else… a normal person simply could not get out of this but it wasn't those simple illusions that one just disrupted the flow chakra simply to cancel it.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. The blond had discovered he was in a Genjutsu the second he activated it. It was never a good thing. But why wasn't he making an attempt to break free from the illusion? Did it mean that he allowed himself to be caught in the illusion?

This was really turning out to be more than he expected. It could not be helped nevertheless. He wanted to speak to Naruto where no one would be able to hear their conversation. This just meant that he had to go through this process, regardless.

"Why?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side slightly. "You're really difficult to read." The blond said. "But I guess you are asking why I don't have my weapons out, yet. That is because I didn't feel bad intensions from you. At least not yet. As my enemy, I'd attacked you head on and I would not have even thought that you want to talk to me. But this is the Elemental Nations and stranger things have happened." Naruto paused. "Then, what do you want, Itachi?"

"What is your goal? Why did you abandon Konoha?"

Naruto thought about it for a couple for seconds. "Who knows? The Elemental Nations got together to destroy the Uzumaki because they feared their power… even though the Uzumaki never took part in shinobi wars and always tried to live peacefully… don't you think it would be poetic if one Uzumaki destroys the Elemental Nations?"

"That would be a problem." Itachi said in a strong tone.

"To you, Akatsuki or the Elemental Nations?"

Itachi ignored Naruto's question. "I don't think that is your real purpose… but from what you just said, you're not planning to do anything good."

Naruto raised an eye brow in curiosity. He shook his head, smiling. "Living is great… you get to witness such things… are you really a man who slaughtered his entire clan just to test his powers? I do not doubt your power but I question your motives."

Once more again, Itachi did not respond to Naruto. "You have already abandoned Konoha, are you going to become its enemy?"

"Unless you want me to join you, I find this line of questioning strange…" Naruto said. "No, there is no desire to make me join. There only one thing interesting and that is the Kyubi. What do you want, Itachi?" Naruto did not respond to Itachi's question. He responded with a question of his own.

Things change over years. With enough experience and knowledge even idiots could learn a few things or two. It has been many years since Naruto was called an idiot. He did look like an idiot back then and it was still the same Intel they had on the blond. It was nevertheless, simple ignorance to assume that the blond would still be the same after so many years.

This was a person who has managed to disappear from the Elemental Nations for at least four years. Pain hadn't been happy all these years but Itachi had no complains. Even so, the fact that Naruto was able to avoid detection for these years meant that he wasn't anyone they could underestimate.

"Our orders are to capture you so that you don't disappear again. Aside from that, I wanted to know if you were an enemy of Konoha or not…"

"If I am?"

Wasn't it strange that a man infamous for a massacre of his clan was asking him if he wasn't an enemy of the Hidden Leaf? Maybe if the man wanted him to join the party but there was no such intension and Itachi had a reason for asking him this question. Well, not everything has ever been what it looks like in the Elemental Nations, has it?

"That would be a problem." Itachi repeated those words again.

Naruto smiled. "Itachi, you are something else. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to test your legend as I am in a hurry. But I am sure our paths will cross soon." The blond turned away from the Uchiha. "I'd like not to since you are Sasuke's target. If we fight, one of us will die. There are things that we cannot change nevertheless."

"Do you really think you can take on the Elemental Nations?" Itachi asked.

"We will have to see…" Naruto said. "Power defines how you think, Itachi. If you are weak, some thoughts will never reach you, unless you're an arrogant shinobi who blows hot air through his behind. When you can make things happen, and know your limits, you can have those thoughts."

"Are you saying that you have that power to take on the Elemental Nations by yourself?"

"The Kyubi managed to avoid being captured by many Hidden Villages when all the other Bijuus were captured… it was only Madara who used his 'blessed' eyes to subdue the Bijuu and later, the Shodai… if the Kyubi's power is unleashed upon this world, with no Uchiha in the way, who has the power to stop it? The Kyubi is the strongest of the Bijuus and whether it was boasting or not, its power cannot even be measured against that of the Eight-tails…" Naruto paused and eyed Itachi for a second. "I'm merely talking about the Kyubi here… I haven't added myself in the equation…"

There was no underestimating the power of the Bijuu sealed within him. Naruto had seen it countless times over the past years to say that there was no one who could stand up to its brute force.

Without saying anything further to Itachi, Naruto took two more steps away as the genjutsu dispersed.

Naruto only took a single step forward with his back turned against Kisame and Itachi before the former rocketed toward him in blinding speed with his sword being swung wildly across the air.

Naruto sensed the movement but he did not try turning around to face the Akatsuki nin. What he did was to throw an explosive tag right in front of the man. The tag went off in a resounding boom of flames that covered Kisame's entire body.

Naruto then jumped into a tree and faced his enemies. Seeing Kisame walk out of the flames unscathed, a memory flashes through Naruto's mind. "I remember, your sword can absorb chakra." He then turned towards Itachi with an expressionless mask. "Itachi… your doujutsu prowess is impressive. I will not underestimate it next time."

The Uzumaki vanished from view after saying those words.

"Don't thin-"

Itachi cut off Kisame before he could move. "Don't move, Kisame!" The Uchiha said in a very strong tone.

Although he was Kisame, he noted the seriousness in Itachi's tone and listened carefully. Kisame did not move, even though his body was screaming for him to chase after Naruto. A second later, his danger senses kicked in.

"Oi, Itachi… what's happening? What did you even do?"

"Move your head two inches forward… just that part of your body…" Itachi said to Kisame.

The Akatsuki nin did as told by his partner. He nearly hissed when something cut his forehead and both his cheeks. The thing that cut him was razor sharp but given how he moved, cuts were not that deep.

"You could have just told me…" Kisame said to Itachi.

"There are blades around your body. If you move in any direction, you move straight into them." Itachi explained. "He must not be happy that I stalled for time."

Kisame blinked upon hearing those words. "How much time did you take? I didn't think you could do that."

"Long enough for Deidara and Sasori to be safe. It became obvious that any attempt to hold him down by fighting would not work. He seemed to have a plan. Genjutsu worked. I was surprised he recognized it immediately and even managed to dispel it. However, I still managed to blind him on his sense of time…" Itachi said. "Assuming that Those two are successful, we should move to a safe location in preparation for the sealing."

"I guess I was also in a genjutsu…" Kisame said. "Are you going to do something about the blades?"

"No…" it sounded a bit cold. "They are losing form by the second. It is pure wind, so Samehada won't be able to absorb it."

It was an interesting jutsu the Uzumaki used. It had been done so quickly that Itachi had only been able to see it with his doujutsu. If Kisame had moved quickly, he would have likely been cut open by those blades. Well, he had learned something about the Uzumaki but it did not make him happy. He was especially concerned that Naruto was plotting something. He could not tell what but the blond was definitely up to something.

The fact that Naruto spoke about destroying the Elemental Nations meant that he could be doing something along those lines. If so, Itachi would do everything in his power to stop the blond.

What could have brought this change though? As far as he was concerned, Naruto had been a kind person back then in Konoha. His statement regarding the Uzumaki clan could have been a play of words with a hidden meaning underneath. Sasuke had abandoned Konoha was chasing after him for revenge. Naruto was saying he was doing the same.

Itachi frowned at the thought. It was almost as if Naruto was mocking him.

 **Sunagakure**

Sweat was not necessarily a sign a bad thing but speeding through the heat of the Sand country made Naruto hate the sweat that was weeping through his body. Then again, running through the desert meant that such a thing would be an occurrence. It made his body feel a little weary and in need of a long intake of breath just to calm his pounding chest.

Either way, Naruto had reached the Sand as soon as he could. It wasn't a desired time but he could not help it since Itachi tricked his sense of time. A laughable incident that he would not allow to happen again, even if he had to gauge those eyes out of the Uchiha.

The Hidden Sand was on high alert; Naruto could see shinobi moving about the village. He didn't have to worry about these shinobi trying to catch him for Konoha's sake. So long as he wasn't branded a traitor and within the Bingo book, he could move freely. Tsunade might add him now that he has declared that he was no longer a Leaf Shinobi. But so far, he hasn't a anything 'bad' that would warrant the Hidden Village declaring war on him.

Naruto moved around with no one seemingly taking note of his presence. This situation just meant that the Akatsuki had already struck and he was late. By the looks of things, he wasn't that late though. They could not be far but he could not tell where tell the direction they took. He would need to talk to someone…

The Uzumaki trailed off as a thought came to mind. "Shouldn't you be able to tell where Shukaku is?" The blond asked the Bijuu sealed within him.

'It isn't impossible.'

'And you didn't bother telling me this before I even arrived at this village because?'

'You never asked and I have no interest in saving Shukaku… your main reasons aren't to stop save the Jinchuriki anyway. Aside from thinning down the numbers of the Akatsuki, this could just be another good deed.' Kurama said. 'Well, regardless of how far you have progressed in your resolve, deep within you, you'll still be the kind-hearted child.'

'I don't think it is kindness that has brought me to this position.' Naruto said before turning away. If the Kyubi could give a general direction of Shukaku, he could move speedily and search on his own. He didn't need anyone from Sunagakure to help him with that.

"Naruto?" It was more of a question than someone calling him out.

It was a stern voice of a woman. Naruto turned around to face the woman calling his name. It was Gaara's elder sister. She must not have been sure that it was him when she called out.

The blond Uzumaki smiled beautifully towards his fellow blonde. "Temari… If I remember correctly..." He could still remember her brutality in the Chunin exams. But that was a thing of the past. Even Gaara had been murderous, but now he was a Kage… how things change.

Temari nodded and walked closer to the blond. She stared at him for a couple of second before speaking. "If it wasn't an emergency, I would be asking you a couple of questions regarding your disappearance." She said in a stern tone. "I don't believe the message sent to Konoha reached them fast enough… so you could not have been sent by Konoha. However, I don't think I'm wrong to assume that you are here because of the Akatsuki."

There could be no other reason the person who disappeared from Konoha suddenly appeared in this village when the Akatsuki has just taken her brother away from her. Temari thought it was strange even so. Not his story with Konoha but the fact that he was here alone.

"That is the reason I came here… and it looks like I am too late…" Naruto said. "You wouldn't know the direction they took, would you? I cannot trust the Bijuu within me to give me all the details."

Temari stared for a long minute. She already knew he was a Jinchuriki. Gaara had said so and Konoha had said it again when the village came knocking about his whereabouts when he disappeared.

"Do you really think you can take them on your own? Gaara lost and he was just fighting one of them…" Temari said, her tone still strong but slightly loud.

"You have an imposing presence…" Naruto said. Then again, he was doing all he can to avoid the pressure that came from his power seeping out of him. If he didn't, it would change lot things, starting with how people spoke to him. "If I didn't think I could take them, I wouldn't have come here… if you know where, show me… I'm already wasting time."

The tone of his voice was strong. Temari felt as if she was being compelled to respond. "I'm coming with."

Naruto paused, thinking. He then nodded. "Don't slow me down."

Hearing that annoyed Temari but she did not get to respond because the blond was already turning away from her. Temari didn't say anything to anyone; she just quickly turned away from the Sand and rushed towards the blond Uzumaki.

She gave the general direction Kankuro took when he chased after them. Her worries over her dear brothers did not reflect on her expression but there was not much dialogue between her and the blond as they rushed through the desert.

Naruto was only annoyed that he was taking the route back to the River country. If he had known that they would have gone back to the country, he would have stayed around to fool around with Itachi and Kisame. But he hadn't known and he was journeying back to the country. He frowned at the thought that both could possibly regroup. A reality like that would result in a big effort from him and he could not guarantee the safety of Gaara and Temari should things become like that.

They travelled for a little while before Naruto increased his speed, leaving her behind for a minute before finally realizing. He just waited for her before slapping her gently on her forehead.

"What are you doing?" Temari felt foreign chakra invading her system but yet it had no violent reaction.

"You're slow…" Naruto said in a hardened tone.

From there, they moved in the same pace.

When they finally arrived at a place a battle evidently took place, Temari hurried in speed sensing her brother's scent.

"Kankuro!" Temari shouted frantically as she went towards his side. He was lying down, looking blue, with sweat all over his body. He appeared to be poisoned. "Kankuro?" Temari tried to wake up her brother from his pained state but there was no positive reaction – he just moaned in pain.

Looking at it, Naruto frowned. He was late again.

Not too long ago, even he would have been on his knees, fighting and begging for Kankuro to keep fighting. Over the past years, he had worked to kill off that kindness in him because it would get in the way of making some decisions. Naruto could only stare down at the brother of the Kazekage for a long minute before looking around.

Even he could tell the puppet user had been poisoned. Sasori was likely to have been the one to do something like that. The man was a former Sand Shinobi and Kankuro would have felt he could take him on since they were both puppet masters. There was still no sign of the other comrade and it appears that Sasori left the scene in one peace.

He was perhaps already within the River Country by now. This nonstop travel was surely going to be a hassle. For now, he would have to either return to Suna or camp by the borders of the river country for the night. He certainly could not be by the desert during the night. It would be playing with nature in an unprecedented way.

"We have to get him back to Suna quickly…" Temari said in a hurried tone to Naruto.

The blond just stared at her for a moment before asking. "Does Suna have anyone who specializes in poison or a top medical nin? By the looks of things, the poison is killing him slowly."

Temari was taken aback by the blank tone the blond used. This was not the brat she saw at the Chunin exams. This was definitely not the person who changed her brother. He was a different person altogether and for a moment, it made her pause but she shook it off because her worries were now on her brother.

"I don't know but we can't just stand here!"

"The enemy that has Gaara went that way…" Naruto said, pointing at the opposite direction. "I can send him to Konoha if it would please you. The Hidden Leaf still has the best Medical kunoichi in all the Elemental Nations…"

Temari did not disagree to that but she had a bit of problem in allowing the blond to take her brother like that. He was a wanted person by Konoha and she wasn't sure she could trust him with her brother's life.

Naruto did not give her much time to think. He created a clone and it picked up her brother before dashing off before she could even ask what he was doing.

"Why are you doing this?" Temari asked curiously. "You are no longer with Konoha and have been gone for about five years now…"

Naruto stared at Temari for a couple seconds before responding. "I have my reasons…" he said calmly.

Temari was annoyed by that non-answer response. "Just answer the damn question."

Naruto raised an eye brow at that tone. "Because I can. Besides, you are so concerned for your brothers… If I save them won't I earn favour in your eyes?" A grin spread through his lips.

Temari looked at him with disgust.

But Naruto merely laughed. "I'm just fighting against the Akatsuki. Besides, I'm not doing anything bad at the moment. Its fine to express my humanity."

 **The Following Day**

 **River Country**

Temari had managed to keep up with him throughout the morning search for her brother. But he hadn't been flashing through the forest of the River country. The movements had been slightly slow because Gaara was close to them. Naruto was still nevertheless on alert in case Itachi and Kisame decide to pounce on him from behind. The possibility was there but he did not fear it. It did make him think twice nonetheless.

As powerful as he was, his power has never been tested against shinobi of this calibre. He was proud of it and he knew he was powerful because he had trained earnestly and he knew there was no one who could do the things that he could do. The Sannins were perhaps powerful, but Naruto knew his power wasn't at that level. Hell, the Sannin could not even be compared to the Sandaime Hokage.

Sensing something, Naruto cut off his thoughts and halted as they neared a clear stream of water. He held out his right hand to stop Temari as well.

"What's wrong?" Temari asked.

They hadn't been talking much. The camp they rested within didn't see much conversation either. But Temari had been a little too tired to stay up to chat with the blond Uzumaki. She had drifted off to sleep early. The awkwardness hadn't helped the situation either. Still, it had been surprising that she managed to sleep peacefully with a wanted man from Konoha guarding her.

"I think they know we have been on their tail…" Naruto said looking past the stream. "My danger instincts have kicked in."

"Are we going to attack? Or should we just wait for backup? I'm sure the people from Konoha will be close to us now…" Temari said. Not for a second did she think that she and the Uzumaki were enough to take down two Akatsuki members at once. She wanted to save her brother, but she would not do anything reckless.

It was curious that Naruto had come alone. She had never asked, but was he really thinking he could do this by himself?

"I don't wish to see Konoha shinobi… it may result in a battle…" Naruto said calmly. "Stay."

Once more again, Temari felt as if the words were a compulsion. The power in his voice rooted her to the ground. There was something about him that changed when he spoke. She didn't get to say anything because he suddenly did a long jump.

Naruto jumped over the stream of water before landing gracefully. The moment his feet touched down the ground, it exploded in a huge explosion that tore through the ground creating huge column of debris followed by gusts of winds.

It lasted for a couple of minutes with no sign of Naruto but when the debris finally calmed, Naruto was standing inside a crater, hands held together, perfectly fine.

"I was sure that was going to do some damage, hn" Deidara said to Sasori. Yet, he wasn't the least concerned that the blond had managed to escape the explosion without any harm.

"If you had let me do it, there would have been damage…" Sasori responded coldly. "You handled the first one… let me handle this one. Besides, you need to keep an eye on our catch."

Naruto spoke before Deidara could respond. "There is no need for that. You can fight me at once. It would be boring if one of you came at me. On your part, it makes thing end quickly, if you have enough power that is… You don't even have to worry about Gaara, I won't make any attempts to get him."

Surprised, Deidara still grinned. "This one is full of himself."

"He does make a fair point." Sasori said. "If we end this quickly, we not only have the one-tail Jinchuriki but we also get the nine-tails. We will also be able to avoid Suna shinobi and possibly Konoha. Suna and Konoha are allies; no doubt the village sent a message to the Leaf."

Naruto smiled. "Before I create an environment that will allow utilizing my power at peak levels, letting me ask this; you don't have a problem if I go all out, no? You are S-ranked shinobi, going easy against would be disrespectful."

"It won't be fun if you don't take us seriously…" Sasori said.

However, he became a little cautious when the blond spoke. There was a feeling that made him a little wary about what the blond had to offer. He was a Jinchuriki but who would speak like that and look intent on fighting opponents he clearly knew were powerful without any backup? Sasori had a feeling that the Uzumaki was banking on something.

"Excellent…" Naruto said before speeding through hand seals. It was not a couple of hand seals but many of them and they were done with such speed that neither Deidara nor Sasori could follow.

After he was done with his hand seals, Naruto clasped his hands together. " **Thunder Clouds** …" massive amount of chakra burst out of his body, clearly visible. The chakra created a massive pillar that shot through to the sky.

Deidara was now floating on his bird… but he had take a step back when the chakra the blond released washed over him. It was just unbelievable power and he had never seen anyone release that amount of power just like that.

Clouds began to gather before slowly before covering the sky. The clouds were black and when Naruto did more hand signs, there started howling with thunder flashing through.

"Oi, Sasori… did you know about this?" The Akatsuki nin asked. Although the blond wasn't their target they did have Intel on all the Jinchurikis.

"That's a stupid question to ask…" Sasori responded sharply. "This person has been gone for five years, you think he wouldn't have improved?"

Naruto straightened up as the pillar of chakra dispersed. "This should be enough… Today its lightning… but since there is water behind me, it wouldn't wro-"

He was cut off when Sasori launched multiple needles straight towards him without warning. Naruto stared at the needles for a moment. Lightning didn't have any defensive jutsus for him. His lightning was made for offensive purposes only. Such a pity that after saying he would use Lightning and Suiton and he would have to use Wind.

" **Fuuton: Great Wind Breakthrough**!" The blond shouted without even doing hand seals. He released powerful gusts of wind. The jutsu had so much power that it tore through the ground, creating debris and picking up large amounts of dust as it headed towards Sasori. The wind jutsu swatted away the poisoned needles before continuing to march towards Sasori.

Sasori wasn't the fastest and with the way the jutsu was going, he was going to get hit. It may not kill him or do any lasting damage but Deidara still decided to act having decided that it was best just to avoid the attack.

He threw a couple of small bombs on front of the wind jutsus. "Katsu!"

The bombs exploded, tearing through the atmosphere. The force of the explosion collided with Naruto's wind jutsu, but the jutsu could not breakthrough from the force. It just mixed up to create a column of raging winds that hit the ground for about a minute before dying down.

"I'd like to test your speed but be careful, if this jutsu hits you, you will die" Naruto said, his right hand raised, fist formed. He then held out a index finger and pointed at Sasori. " **Lightning Roar**!"

There was a roar of a wild animal but that was the only thing that followed an explosion on the ground. There was something that shot from the clouds and hit Sasori head on before exploding.

Naruto looked on with interest to what might have happened. The Jutsu was an S-rank jutsu that had the power to turn a human being into ash. There was no need to fool around with this people. Besides, he had said he was going all out, there was no need to show mercy to these criminals.

A little worried for Sasori, Deidara looked up into the sky with a frown. The clouds would be a problem for them because it was clear that Naruto could release one of those jutsu at any moment. He had clearly created them for this purpose and with them around, they would have to be extra careful. Lightning wasn't the kind of element he even wanted to go against considering that it could nullify his art.

Sasori flashed to the side wearing a black cloak. Deidara was surprised to see the real form of his partner. How many years has it been since they became partners? Yet, he had never seen Sasori's real form. Aside from the fact that no one had destroyed Hiruko before, the man never went out of the puppet.

"I finally see your real form…" Deidara said calmly.

"That shouldn't be your main concern." Sasori responded in an emotionless tone. "This is going to prove to be a problem if we don't handle it with care…"

"I agree on that, hn…" Deidara. "I hope to see more of your art now… Sasori-senpai."

Having said that, Deidara directed his bird towards the still Naruto. The bird was flapping its wings with its pointed mouth heading towards Naruto in a downward movement with speed with Deidara still atop of it.

"It is a blast! **Katsu**!"

Deidara did not wait for his bird to reach Naruto. He was quick to jump away from it and let it explode before it could even reach the blond Uzumaki. The explosion was massive. It rocked through the area, tearing through where Naruto stood. It caused rocks and large amounts of debris to fall over to the stream of water.

"Are you trying to kill him?" Sasori asked Deidara as he prepared the Third Kazekage as his next puppet to play out with the Jinchuriki. Hiruko had been destroyed far sooner than he could expect but it didn't matter nonetheless.

"He is a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi… he can't be that easy to kill, hn…" Deidara had an air of nonchalance about it. "That was the beauty of my art, now is your turn, Sasori-senpai."

Sasori didn't do anything until Deidara's explosion cleared. Naruto was still in the same position but he did not appear to be unharmed even though it was apparent that he hadn't moved a muscle. There were bruises all over his body.

The puppet of the Sandaime Kazekage burst toward Naruto in blinding speed. The blond was surprised by the speed having not expected a puppet to move that fast.

He still had the time to react to the attack nevertheless. He held out his right hand, forming a long invisible wind blade. Watching the puppet move towards him, Naruto held his sword firmly and took a stance with his knees bent slightly, looking ready to swing the sword with both hands in blinding speed.

The puppet released a retractable scythe from its right and swung it towards Naruto with the intention to separate his head from the rest of his body. Naruto reacted to this by swinging his sword in a blinding speed. The sword cut through the scythe without making a damn sound – it just cut through the weapon as if it was cleaving through the air.

The Sandaime Kazekage suddenly opened its mouth before Naruto could even gain his balance. Naruto's eyes narrowed sharply when the puppet released a purple mist from its mouth.

Poison, he realized. That was something he had to avoid. He was not immune to poison. It might not affect him in the same rate as a normal person but it could still kill him or poison his chakra system.

Naruto inhaled small amounts of air, careful not to inhale the poison. He then suddenly released a blast of powerful wind from his mouth. The wind he released blasted with the poison back to the puppet before slamming into the puppet itself. The force of the wind sent the puppet flying backwards but with no real damage.

" **Katsu**!"

The moment Deidara yelled out, Naruto cursed inwardly. Behind him, there were two small white birds. They exploded in the blink on an eye, consuming him in a column of flames for a short while before he blasted the flames with wind.

There was no time to catch a breather as a large pointed boulder came down slamming towards his form. Naruto could only disperse his wind blade before catching the boulder with both his hands. But the moment it collided with both his hands, it forced his feet to burrow into the ground and his knees to bend. It was made of iron and was ridiculously heavy. It was putting a lot of strain on his muscles.

Deidara flashed below the boulder just in front of Naruto with his fist speeding towards the blond's chest. The Akatsuki nin landed a heavy blow on Naruto's chest that forced him to slide back slightly but he did not let go of the boulder because he knew it would hit him if he did so. He just had to muster enough energy to push it away from him.

"Oh… you are really tough… well no wonder Itachi and Kisame were assigned to you…" Deidara said in a calm tone, slowly preparing his next attack. "Let us see if you can escape this without a scratch, hn."

The man left four birds around Naruto before jumping away. " **Katsu**!"

Boom!

Once more again, Naruto was surrounded by flames that burnt for a couple of moments before dying down. Naruto's upper clothing and his cloak were burnt, leaving just the bandages that covered his upper body visible. There did not appear to be any visible damage on his body.

The brutal bastards did not let up, The Sandaime Kazekage burst toward him a blade heading straight toward him. The blade was held by the puppet's left hand since he has cut down the right hand.

Just when the blade was about to pierce through his chest, a clone appeared in between in a puff of smoke. Its glowing right hand moved above the blade before hitting it. The blade slammed into the ground and clone lifted up its left foot. It slammed its foot in the face of the puppet, sending it tumbling backwards.

With its job done, the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto growled slightly before pushing the boulder away from him. The large iron flew to the sides before slamming into the ground in a loud boom.

"I think its my turn to move now… I have allowed you to attack. Brace yourself be-" He was cut off because Sasori moved his puppet once more. The puppet lunged towards him with its mouth hung open.

It was rather rude to interrupt him whilst he was talking. But this just gave him an opportunity to destroy the annoying puppet. Naruto waited for the puppet to get closer to him before jumping up when it was inches away from him. As he jumped, he formed a giant Rasengan. The Uzumaki flipped in mid-air just above the puppet.

Sasori tried to withdraw his puppet quickly seeing that Naruto was going to hit it with his jutsu but the blond moved faster. The giant Rasengan slammed into the back of the puppet of the Kazekage, sending it crashing onto the ground. When it did along with the jutsu, the explosion that followed tore it apart whilst creating a large crater on the ground.

"As I was saying; you should prepare yourself because my attack will be devastating…" Naruto said as if nothing had happened.

Sasori wasn't happy that his puppet had been destroyed. The Kazekage was his favourite puppet. But he could try to repair it. He just had to get this over with. "Deidara, stand back and watch over our catch. I will handle this." Sasori commanded before taking out a scroll.

" **Puppet army**!" The man announced as a hundred of puppets blasted into the sky. "I have been collecting this over the years. You will also become one of my puppets."

Naruto looked up into the sky seeing the puppets; there was no change in expression on his face. It wasn't anything that could make him nervous, not even the least. At the end of the day, it was all just puppets that were being manipulated by a shinobi – to him it was just numbers, nothing more than the clones he used to create. There was a way to dispel all of them in just one move.

Naruto turned his eyes towards Sasori. He did fast hand seals before releasing his jutsu. " **Blind Judgement**." A thundering sound flashed through the area with a pale light that blinded everyone from seeing anything. It lasted for a second, but not even Naruto could see through the light.

When it disappeared, Sasori could only stare stone faced as pieces of his puppets rained down the earth. He didn't sense or see anything. But something had ripped through all his puppets, leaving them as pieces. The light had only covered for a second, and yet this had happened. Sasori could not understand.

"What just happened?"

"The Thunder God turned your puppets into scraps…" Naruto responded. He wasn't going to explain how his jutsu worked. It would be stupid to do so. "You are next…" Naruto said, his index finger pointing at Sasori. " **Divine Judgement!"**

It all happened in an instant: pale lightning flashed from the clouds hitting Sasori. There was a loud explosion that occurred when the jutsu collided with Sasori. The explosion caused debris to pick up, lasting for about a minute.

Sasori remained standing in a large crater but when he tried to speak his body crumbled down into ash.

Naruto looked up as the clouds began to disperse. 'Oh, I've used up my time.' He thought before turning his focus towards Deidara.

The Akatsuki nin was in the sky riding his bird with Gaara on his shoulder. "Fighting here is no longer worth it…" he said. "But do enjoy my farewell gift. C3… the beauty of my art!"

Above Naruto a large clay formation appeared in a puff of smoke before slowly descending towards the blond.

For a moment, Naruto wondered if the Akatsuki nin was stupid or perhaps he thought he hasn't realized that he coul defuse the explosives yet it since he has so far not found any formula to deal with the explosives. Naruto opted for the latter as it sounded reasonable.

He could defuse it the jutsu before it explodes using lightning. It wasn't that without the clouds to create natural lightning for him he could not use the element.

Sensing more chakra signatures Naruto held a single hand sign, preparing to disappear from the explosive. He thought it was better to allow it to explode to give Temari the chance she needed to land a hit. Fighting Deidara was no longer necessary anyway.

Boom!

The explosive activated, blowing up with a shockwave and a force that seemed to slightly shake the ground. Deidara burst into a mad laughter as he watched heavenly flames burning wildly after his art went off.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

" **Futon: Kakeami**!" Temari slashed a giant wind fan, releasing a dangerous jutsu. She launched sharp wind currents in the form of a net. The jutsu went straight towards Deidara with Temari hoping that it doesn't hit Gaara. She was certain that the man would protect her brother just as he would protect himself.

Sasori cursed seeing the incoming jutsu but he could do nothing to avoid it slicing through his escape plan. He had known she was there but he had been so absorbed with Naruto that he had completely forgotten about her.

The Akatsuki nin cursed once more when he crashed onto the ground with Gaara still on his shoulder.

"Hn?" Deidara looked down. Two hands burst from the ground, grabbing both his feet. Lightning burst through the hands, shocking him, literally. The Akatsuki nin cursed, feeling his body paralyzed.

Naruto suddenly walked towards him. The Akatsuki hadn't even thought that the blond would have escape that jutsu but he was still not surprised. The blond was holding something invisible with his right hand.

Truth be told, Deidara was nervous.

"Thank you for the entertainment…" Naruto said. "I need you alive… so you won't be killed. You don't need to worry, you won't be sent to Suna or Iwagakure. Well, not now at least. I need to get the information inside of your head first."

Deidara grinned. "You think I will allow myself to be captur-"

He was cut off when Naruto cut off his right hand from his shoulder. He didn't feel pain until the blond cut his left hand as well. The swings were fast blinding to the naked eye. Bottom line, both his hurts dropped down the ground.

In pain, Deidara could only release curses from his mouth. There were a lot of things said, but Naruto ignored it all.

His eyes were staring at the blonde girl just away from him. Behind her, it was Konoha shinobi led by his former sensei. But they didn't get to say anything as Temari was first to speak.

"What the hell was that?!" She demanded.

 **End of chapter. I give no timeline on when Chapter 8 will be updated.**

 **Once more again, thanks for the reviews. The reaction to the last chapter was delightful.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	8. Chapter 8

Instead of responding to Temari, Naruto looked at the people behind her. He really hadn't wished to face them now because there would be a lot of things thrown at him and there would be attempts to force him back to the Hidden Leaf. Of course, he would not permit them to do anything to him, but he had hoped to avoid the whole episode.

Well, nothing ever went per plan in this corrupt shinobi world. He just had to manage his way about this situation, finding a best possible way to deal with it. His commitment remained absolute; even though he was looking at this people he had once called very good friends. They were his only friends, the people he had fun with and the people he could always count on for support.

But that was the past. It was cruel, but he no longer needed them or their friendship.

Naruto turned his attention back to Temari, only for a couple of seconds. Still, he did not respond, he knocked out the cursing Akatsuki nin and did hand seals before slamming his hands on the man's chest. Deidara disappeared in a puff of smoke. Once done, he ignored the Konoha shinobi and turned to face the blonde kunoichi.

"What are you referring to, Temari?" Naruto asked, a small smile on his face.

"Don't play innocent with me!" Temari shouted. How could he fight like that, how could he get out of a fight with two S-ranked criminals, looking like that? The Naruto she knew wasn't even that brutal that he would simply cut off Deidara's arms like that. Then again, she wasn't complaining about it because really, she felt he deserved it for taking her brother away from her and the damage he did to the Hidden Sand.

Naruto walked past the Unconscious Kazekage stopped just inches away from Temari. He then placed his right hand on her left shoulder – it was a gentle touch. He leaned forward to whisper on her ear.

"I can't tell you my secrets, but I'm not fine as I appear. I did take damage. I just trying to impress you. You appear to be a strong-willed woman, so I thought you'd also like strong man…" Naruto said in a sly tone before retrieving slightly to face Temari with a small charming smile.

"Oi, are you hitting on the Kazekage's sister while ignoring us, teme?!" Kiba barked angrily from behind, after seeing the smile in Naruto's lips.

Naruto ignored Kiba and focused on Temari's reaction but there was none. He merely widened his smile though. "No reaction… I guess you are not attracted to power." He then turned his eyes towards the Konoha shinobi. "Sakura, Kakashi, Gai, Kiba, Captain Yamato and Shikamaru. A nicely assembled team to fight the Akatsuki.

"Sakura can offer the required medical expertise to any teammate whilst offering valuable support with her brute strength. Kakashi for the leadership, experience and Ninjutsu. Gai for the expertise in Taijutsu. Kiba for the tracking down, and Captain Yamato, I believe your inclusion is to counter the Kyubi's power… and Shikamaru, for your sound intelligence."

"And something like this…" The Nara said, holding his hands together.

Naruto looked down, Shikamaru's shadow was restraining him. He merely smiled and responded. "Indeed."

"Stating that you know what we specialize in is just a spell for trouble…" Shikamaru said.

They had to know that they were fighting someone who knew their abilities in and out. Naruto was a former Leaf shinobi and their friend. He knew their skills and with how he greeted, there was a hint that he had a way to counter them, if not, he was just impressed with the team assembly but not afraid to go against all of them.

The latter part would be frightening. Shikamaru wasn't taking anything for granted and he would rather overestimate the blond than to underestimate his power. What the Godaime Hokage had told him was something they had to worry about. Period.

"Maybe in your case but the bastard is underestimating me. He said the only reason I was called was for my tracking skills…" Kiba said in a bitter tone.

He knew he wasn't the strongest and didn't have much in his arsenal as someone like Kakashi had. He couldn't even compare to Gai who could not use Ninjutsu. But he still held pride his skills and for Naruto to discard them as nothing really infuriated him.

"Mah mah Kiba," Kakashi said. "No need to be angry… he probably said it on purpose…" The Jonin turned towards the blond. He offered Naruto and eye smile. "Yoh!"

Maybe it was good that some things never change. These people, they all still looked particularly the same and the way they conducted themselves was the same. Yes, it wasn't so bad to know that some people never lose sight of who they are. He had changed drastically and most of change was perhaps enforced by power.

Shikamaru was still holding onto him, trying to keep him from moving. They must have been warned before they left Konoha that they would likely come across him and should that happen, they were to take action against him. This was it, these people were going to fight him to take him to Konoha.

His body had yet to fully heal, hence the bandages over his body. But he thought he should try this people to see if they have improved over the past years. It would be a shame if they haven't improved. Besides that, battle experience would prove useful in future battles.

"Kakashi…" Naruto acknowledged the Jonin calmly. "Sakura why are you so suddenly quiet? You are nervous seeing me? Did you perhaps develop some feelings about me in my absence?"

Sakura glared at the blond for long minute before retorting. "Like I would ever!"

"I'm wounded, Sakura. And here I was thinking you missed me…" he made a mock hurt mask.

"Well, I do miss you. Do you know how many nights I laid in bed hoping you'd return home?! I even cried when I discovered you'd abandoned Konoha!" Sakura shouted. On that night, they had made up and she'd thought that they had made up and would turn on a new leaf, living differently from the time they had Sasuke and in the early days of his return. She had thought of days they could spend time together.

But he had left, crushing all those hopes. It had pained her.

"When I said develop some feelings for me, what did you think I was talking about, Sakura? I meant longing, not love…" Naruto said grinning.

"Naruto-kun, it is good that you still have your youthfulness in you. I can see the fire burning in you!" Gai exclaimed happily, seeing how Naruto was interacting with his old friends.

"But we will ask you to come with us back to Konoha. If not, we will use force…" Captain Yamato was quick to say in a firm tone.

Temari who had been observing things quietly finally decided to enter the scene. "Wait… Naruto has just saved Suna's Kazekage from the Akatsuki, it wouldn't be right I just stand by and watch you take him away. He has been nothing good to me." Temari's tone was firm, and she was holding out her hands in defence of Naruto.

"We are sorry that it has to be like this, Temari-san. But we have orders from the Godaime Hokage. If you don't know, Naruto is a missing-nin from the Hidden Leaf. How do you think that will spell out when it becomes known that you shielded him?" Kakashi said in a stern tone.

"Konoha is Suna's biggest ally and I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize that relationship…" Temari said firmly. "However, I simply cannot stand by and watch this happen. I believe that my brother would do the same!"

An impasse, Naruto placed his hands on Temari's shoulders. He moved them gently to get the blonde to lay down her hands. "I'm touched… but it isn't necessary for you to this far. This Will be a good opportunity to his how my former colleagues have progressed over the past years."

Temari narrowed her eyes. "Are you serious? Do you think you can take them after fighting S-ranked criminals? You were not even moving in that fight."

"That is because when I create those clouds, moving becomes unnecessary. I just need to stand still and observe enemies dance under the tune of the Thunder Clouds." The blond paused, his whole demeanour changing completely. "Take your brother and move to a safe distance. Konoha's relationship with Suna must not be fractured because of me."

Temari hesitated but she finally nodded. "Fine but if there is trouble… I will step in…"

Naruto shook his head. "Save your strength. I need test my wind jutsu against you. Aren't you the best wind user in Suna?"

"That I am." She said proudly before getting out the way along with her brother.

After Temari made a good distance, Naruto turned his attention towards his former colleagues at the Leaf. "You've certainly developed your endurance, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru didn't comment on it but there was an obvious change in the way Naruto addressed him – there was no smile.

"Its nothing since you haven't made any attempt to break free…" Shikamaru said. It was something that made it easy for him for keep his shadow binding the Uzumaki without any struggles or usage of chakra that made him sweat.

Naruto didn't respond to that. "There are more than two of you and one of you is known to have copied over 1000 jutsus, you wouldn't complain if I used all five elements, no?" He was asking, holding out his right hand. He then unleashed a tremendous amount of chakra that freed him from Shikamaru's hold within seconds.

At the massive output of power, Kakashi felt there was no other choice but to reveal the Sharingan. That aside, he was still shocked that the blond could use all five Elements. At his age, with no Bloodline, that was nothing short of genius even the Sandaime would praise proudly.

Naruto did hand seals before holding his hands over his mouth. " **Katon: Goka Messhitsu**!" The blond expelled a massive stream of intense flames his mouth. The stream shot towards the Leaf shinobi before setting off into a large sea of flames that consumed the surrounding trees. The intensity of the flames was so much that they increased the temperature around the area.

" **Konoha Senpu**!" Gai shouted, appearing right above Naruto with the back of his right foot slamming down towards the blond's forehead. Naruto raised both his hands and folded them to defend against the kick.

He couldn't help but wince slightly when Gai's kick slammed into his defence. It forced his knees to bend slightly but his defence still managed to hold on.

"Shannaro!" That was Sakura announcing her presence. She was lunging towards him from the front, her body bent forward slightly with her right fist glowing with Chakra. She was obviously taking aim at his chest.

With Gai not moving, Naruto slammed his right foot into ground. A large boulder sprouted just in front of him, creating a shield between him and Sakura's punch. He didn't think it would hold for long though. He channelled his strength into his knees and pushed Gai away from him before jumping back slightly just as Sakura's massive fist burst through the boulder. It had punched through it as if it was nothing.

Naruto wasn't surprised. He had expected to see something like that happening. He touched down the ground quickly and burst toward Sakura who was still moving with the momentum of her punch. He lifted his right foot, intent on slamming it into Sakura's face.

He was caught in mid-air when a piece of wood burst forth from the ground and tied around his foot, stopping his foot from reaching the pinkette. Sakura used the opportunity to create some distance between her and Naruto.

"Thanks Captain Yamato…" Sakura said as she landed next to the **Mokuton** user. The man merely nodded in response as Naruto broke through his hold effortlessly.

"That was interesting…" Naruto said taking a single step forward. He immediately halted when he sensed movement towards him.

" **Gatsuga**!"

The fast rotation missed him by a whisker but Naruto did not turn his eyes away from the Inuzuka. He still had to keep track of the others though. Gai and Kakashi would give him problems. He would have to remove one of them sooner rather than later.

Kiba turned around in mid-air, with the rotation coming back towards him. Naruto made a single movement to try to meet the jutsu, but he found himself held up by Shikamaru's shadow. He didn't bother trying to move his feet just held a single hand seal with his left hand whilst holding out his right hand, palm facing the Gatsuga.

" **Palm Vortex**!"

A rotation spinning in the same manner as Kiba's Gatsuga formed just in front on him. Naruto directed it with his right hand to meet the incoming jutsu. Kiba slammed into wind Vortex, and Naruto adjusted the speed of his rotation to meet Kiba's.

While he was still busy with that, Gai flashed in front of him, both his hands on the ground with his right leg sweeping through the ground. Simultaneously, Kakashi flashed behind him.

" **Raikiri**!"

Naruto was surprised seeing the man use that kind of jutsu against him. Then again, they had to come at him with the intention to kill him. If they did not do that, they would end up lying in the battlefield, broken.

" **Wind Style: Great Wind Explosion**!" Naruto only did hand signs with his free hand but the resulting jutsu was imperious. It might be a sacrifice of his chakra, but Naruto released his chakra, converted into wind, like an explosion. The powerful wind currents tore through as gusts of winds that peeled off the ground, picking up large amounts of debris. The three Konoha nin who were near him were slammed away by the powerful explosion.

A distance away, Kakashi recovered after being blown away by the wind. There were cuts over his clothing, but no damaging cuts. Yet, that hadn't been a small blow. Naruto had to have burnt a lot of chakra for that to happen. Not for a moment did the Jonin think that Naruto would be depleting his reserves.

Naruto looked up without checking any of his opponents. It was apparent that both Yamato and Shikamaru were acting as support. Physical attacks from Gai were going to be a problem, but he would have to deal with it.

Speaking of the taijutsu master. Bruised but otherwise fine, Jonin crashed in front him in a dynamic entry. "You don't make movements. Since the battle started, you hardly make movements from your location unless you are reacting. It makes it difficult to judge your speed and taijutsu skills…" The Jonin said. "You were once full of youthful flames, Naruto-kun. I don't know what happened, but our mission is to take you back to Konoha!" The man said taking a stance.

"Taijutsu isn't my fort… but if you want to dance - let us…" Naruto said before taking a single step toward the Jonin.

Naruto's left foot landed gracefully and silently behind Gai, his right was in the air, raising high as he twisted anti-clockwise. Gai saw the attack coming all the way and ducked under the kick. The Konoha Nin rolled forward before straightening up quickly. He faced Naruto and then lunged forward.

The Jonin was upon the blond Uzumaki within a second: he jumped up, lashed a right hook towards the blond. Naruto leaned back to avoid the fast punch. It only missed him by a whisker but he did not sweat over it. He lifted his right foot, trying to attack Gai around his waist. The kick was speeding in blinding speed, yet the Jonin was flexible and fast enough to react. He blocked the kick by raising his left knee.

Naruto didn't stop there; with his foot still clashing with Gai's knee, Naruto drove his right punch towards Gai's chest.

The man reacted instantly by slapping the punch towards his left side. He had put enough strength to catch Naruto by the movement. The Jonin danced his way around Naruto's left side by twisting around along the stretched hand. He placed his right hand on Naruto's shoulder and grabbed firmly. Without warning, the man propelled himself into the air, just above the blond with his right hand still on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto reacted quickly, even though he was falling towards his right slightly. He raised both his hands above his head and tried to grab Gai's but the Jonin saw this coming and used his hold on Naruto's shoulder to forcefully push the blond backwards. As he did so, he pulled his feet down with his knees bent. The knees came around to hit Naruto on the chest. There was no speed in the attack, but it had enough force to make Naruto stumble backwards, nearly falling. He was just quick to adjust his feet.

Naruto didn't attack the Jonin; he remained still and waited for him to attack. When Gai lunged toward, Naruto took a step backwards while inhaling some air. " **Wind Bullet**!"

He shot a wind bullet through his mouth, heading straight towards Gai's chest. Whether it was on instinct or the Jonin was just that fast, the man shifted towards his right to avoid the bullet whilst still rushing towards Naruto.

Naruto did not release any bullet seeing it as useless as he could tell that Gai was going to keep dodging them. When he touched down the ground, Gai also touched down. The man's feet crushed the ground, burrowing down with his knees bent slightly. The man attempted an uppercut on Naruto's chin, but the blond dodged the blow by jumping back slightly.

He landed a feat back and still lunged towards Gai before he could straighten up himself. Naruto twisted in mid-air and with his right foot cleaving through the air. Gai saw the kick coming straight to his face. He quickly crossed his hands in front of his face and bent his knees slightly for extra support. The blond's kick slammed into his defence, pushing him back slightly but he still managed to hold on.

Naruto didn't leave with that failure, he drove his right fist towards the taijutsu user, but the man grabbed his punch with his right hand.

Lightning burst forth from his right hand, and literally shocked Gai's entire body. The Jonin gritted his teeth as the lightning touched his nerves, making him feel some unbearable pain. He did not make a sound nevertheless. When Naruto made a distance between them, Gai found himself unable to move, his body felt numb.

Naruto formed a Rasengan on the palm of his right hand but before he could even move, he sensed something and was forced to jump up into the air whilst dispelling his jutsu. Roots burst forth from the ground and tried to grab his feet, but Naruto had jumped quick enough to avoid them. However, Shikamaru's shadow suddenly spread from the roots and grabbed his right foot.

He wasn't given enough time to do anything as even then the roots managed to grab him. He was twisted around the air for a couple of seconds before being hurled towards Gai and an on rushing Kakashi. The two Jonin's slammed brutal kicks on Naruto's chest.

Naruto couldn't help but curse when pain short through under the bandages. The attack also made him feel as if something had snapped. The result of the attack saw him rocketing backwards.

" **Doton: Mud Wall!"**

Kakashi did that when he landed down, creating a mud wall behind Naruto. The blond could not stop his body from moving and slammed into the wall with his back. He just broke through the wall, shattering it as if it was nothing. But a heavy blow on his body.

"Shannaro!" Sakura roared flashing above the blond once he broke through the mud wall. Naruto only positioned his body horizontally to face Sakura. He added a layer of wind force around his arms before folding them to protect himself from the punch.

Boom!

That was the sound that tore through the battlefield when Naruto's body slammed into the ground with his back, creating a large crater. Sakura was still on top of him.

His defence was still keeping the pinkette in her place. Naruto smiled at Sakura before speaking. "Must you always shout when you attack? If you keep doing that, you won't be able to catch your opponent by surprise." He said.

Sakura wanted to respond, but she stared at Naruto's eyes. She was looking at him so close for the first time. He felt cold, there was no emotion in his eyes, just a blank mask staring at her. Sakura became uncomfortable looking at him like that. Naruto had never ever given her such a look.

"I'm really sorry, Sakura. You are going to experience some pain." He didn't sound as if he was sorry at all. There was just nothing in his tone or his face that suggested he was indeed sorry.

Before Sakura could say anything in response, Naruto released a lightning jutsu.

" **Curse of the Thunder God."**

Electrical currents burst out of Naruto's body hitting the surrounding area… they made an electrical field around him. To Sakura, it wasn't just a pretty field, it was hellish pain.

"Haaaaaa!" The pinkette cried in a pain, it was an ear shuttering scream that made even the others cringe. It was only for about five seconds but it had resounded within the area. When the lightning dispersed, Sakura fell, unconscious.

Naruto did not bother to attempt to catch her, he just stood up and dusted up himself, an expressionless mask settled on his face as he looked at the shocked Konoha nins.

"This is enough for today…" Naruto said in a cold tone. "Konoha is no longer my home, get it straight." He disappeared along with gusts of winds.

Naruto appeared in front of Temari on the other side of the river. "If you are not following me back to Suna, Give Gaara to me. There are still two more Akatsuki members within this country. My body isn't in a condition to fight them."

Temari stared at him for a long minute. She could understand the danger but there was something that stuck out the most. "Did you have to go that far?"

"Who knows?" Naruto said. "Then?"

She handed over her brother. "Those people came to rescue my brother; I simply cannot leave them alone like this. I must speak to them and perhaps return to Konoha with them for Kankuro. Your clone did send him there, right?"

Naruto nodded.

 **Back with the Konoha shinobi**

"Huh, the bastard ran away!" Kiba said, fist pumped up, happy that they had managed to get the blond to run. Their mission had been to capture him, but Kiba was happy with watching him run with his tail between his legs.

Shikamaru shook his head at Kiba's moment. It wasn't to say the Inuzuka hated Naruto no, he was just bitter and angry. They had been willing to accept Naruto even though he was a Jinchuriki. Hell, they would have defended his honour in front of the villagers if it had come to that. Kiba was just hurt that Naruto had still decided to leave Konoha without even saying anything to them. Not a good bye. Nothing. He was disappeared.

Perhaps another factor was Hinata's pain in Naruto's disappearance. That was something that the Nara didn't want to even think about.

"I doubt he ran away…" The Nara said. "What did you make out of it, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi was staring at Sakura's body with his Sharingan, trying to figure out what Naruto did to Sakura. He could still see electricity flowing through her chakra system, but he could not figure out why it would have such effect.

The Jonin shook his head. Well, there was almost nothing that Tsunade could not fix. "He said he could use all five Elements but only used three. Regardless of that, Wind is still Naruto's natural affinity. Anyway, it seems he was just testing us." The Jonin finished with nonchalance.

"It is a pity we were not able to get him but we do know that he wasn't just lying around over the past years." Yamato said.

Kakashi nodded. A curious thing that stood out the most for him where the bandages. They had been hit with explosives but nothing happened to them. He saw a seal around the bandages with the Sharingan. Physical attacks obviously hurt but flames did nothing. It was likely that the seal was some sort of a chakra barrier.

The Jonin turned towards Temari who was making her way towards them. He managed to smile at the blonde sister of the fifth Kazekage. "Naruto went Sunagakure with my brother. If possible, my brother will try to convince him to go back to Konoha."

"That will be good…" Kakashi said. "I wonder how Tsunade-sama is going to take this."

"You are going to explain so many things to her…" Shikamaru said. He could almost pity the Jonin. He could see the Godaime trying to rip the Jonin apart for failing to bring back the blond when he had a whole team and the blond had been worn out in fighting Akatsuki members.

"I don't think you would have succeeded in actually defeating him if he had stayed." Temari said. "I hope he doesn't become an enemy because really, if he does, it will take some doing to stop him…" The blonde looked down at Sakura before asking. "Is she going to be fine?"

"Yes…" Kakashi said. "The jutsu still affects her but it doesn't appear there will be any lasting damage…" the Jonin added. "We should head back to Konoha since the Kazekage is safe. We failed to get Naruto but at least our ally is safe, even though we didn't do anything."

Temari shook her head. "You did something; you came when we called. Your reaction was even quicker. Had it not been for Naruto, you would have probably battled with Akatsuki. I'm sure my brother will appreciate your efforts." She said with a smile.

That was something else put aside but he now needed to worry about how he was going to explain things to the Godaime – who was obviously going to be emotional about the whole issue. The first question would surely be a demand on how seasoned Jonins could lose out to Naruto who has never fought a war before.

Kakashi sighed deeply at the thought. There was just no way he could avoid this. He just had to face it.

At least they had seen that Naruto is alive and well… more importantly, powerful and without any interest to return to the Hidden Leaf.

 **Later that day**

Naruto was still within the River Country, having not ventured into the desert once he parted from Temari and the Konoha shinobi. There was no need to get back to Sunagakure with Gaara still on his shoulder and unconscious. He wouldn't even need to walk the Kazekage because he believed that Sunagakure shinobi would now be out in full force, looking for their Kage.

He didn't think the Akatsuki would go back again to attack Gaara once more, not so soon anywhere. They had just lost two members and now have to deal with him. They will no doubt even know that both Konoha and Suna will now be on alert of the Red Clouds. If their members are seen by capable members of either village, they would be attacked.

Well, these criminals didn't seem to lack the confidence. They had attacked a Hidden Village, just two of them. That was something else and it spoke volumes about their level of confidence in their abilities.

Naruto drifted away from his thoughts when Gaara started moving slightly. The blond just stared with an expressionless mask as the Jinchuriki held his head, apparently in pain with his eyes closed. His eyes suddenly snapped opened, an intense gaze meeting with his.

Gaara didn't stare for far too long; he tried to sit up, succeeding and then tried to move his upper body just to get a feeling on whether he was suffering from any injury.

He breathed in calmly seeing that he was fine. The Kazekage turned his focus on the blond Uzumaki once more. He hadn't seen him not since that time Sasuke abandoned the Hidden Leaf and they had to intervene. Had Naruto not left for a training trip and then abandoning Konoha, they would have surely met a couple of times.

Why not? After all, Gaara considered this person to be a friend.

"I didn't think that I'd be seeing you of all people…" Gaara said, his expression displaying none of his emotions. "But I guess it is good that I am seeing you. You have been gone for quite some time."

"Five years." Naruto said. "You have done a lot in the past years. So much more than what I would have thought after we battled during the invasion…"

The Jinchuriki had become a Kage and a good person. Of course there was still some mistrust amongst people but it wasn't something Naruto saw as bad. It was just in the human nature for people to do things like that. Nevertheless, Gaara had become a truly good Kage and someone respected within Sunagakure.

What has he achieved over the years? It was all just power that has given him a bone of arrogance. And to think he used to mock Sasuke over his arrogance. Well, he was strong. Sasuke had been a Genin who believed he could beat anyone. For whatever reason Naruto could not understand.

"It helped being the son of the previous Kage…" Gaara said. "I also wanted to amend for my past actions. There was a lot that I did. Yes, I was betrayed but my own actions brought fear and mistrust amongst people and there were many that I hurt."

"That is just something that happens in life. We are born innocent but experiences and the lessons we learn teach us both good and evil…" Naruto responded. "Your sister has gone to Konohagakure. We are currently next to border between Suna and River."

Gaara looked around for second before looking back at Naruto. "You must have saved me."

Naruto nodded. "Along with your sister. As I said, she has gone back to Konohagakure with Konoha shinobi who'd come to rescue you."

Gaara didn't respond immediately. He was thinking about how things could have gone down once he was captured. Really, right now, he just wanted to go back to Suna to make sure his village was in a good condition. He had done all he could to protect it as its leader but in the end, he had failed.

Careless of him but it was because of friends such as Naruto that he was here. It could have been the end of him if he had not been rescued.

"You have my thanks Naruto." Gaara attempted to smile as he spoke. "Are you not going back to Konoha?"

Gaara was curious. As far as he knew, Konoha was still looking for Naruto. But he had said that Temari had left with Konoha shinobi. He must have met them. He could not tell what could have happened in that meeting.

Naruto shook his head. "My appearance was forced because I wanted to force the Akatsuki's focus on me. Of course there is a chance that they might move towards their next target even after I have interfered but should that happen, I will intervene once more."

"I was informed about them and I know Suna used them in the past." Gaara said. "Why are they after Jinchurikis?"

Naruto shook his head. "I honestly have no idea. It is frustrating but I cannot tell what they really want to do with Jinchurikis. Whatever it is, it requires us to be alive. I know they are targeting all Jinchurikis because the Bijuus but for what purpose, I cannot tell."

Gaara nodded. "We just have to stop them because I doubt they are planning anything good." He said. "Konoha is still looking for you… if you were with my sister, what was her position in all this?"

Naruto looked at Gaara curiously before asking a question rather than responding to the Kazekage's. "What would you do?"

Gaara didn't need time to think about an answer. It came instantly. "There are more important things than trying to keep in line with an alliance. Your moral values are more important than anything. It would be morally wrong for me to stab someone I consider a friend and someone who just saved me right in the back. If I'm willing to sacrifice my morals simply because I'm afraid of what my ally will think then I'm not fit to be Kazekage.

"I know as shinobi we constantly stray between the line of good and bad but we cannot forget the important values that bring us friendship. Our words don't mean much, but I want you to know that as long as you have not done anything wrong, I will not interfere."

Naruto smiled. What a refreshing thing to hear someone who could speak so sincerely. This was a character that was lacking in this world. There were so many masks being worn out there, no one was ever honest.

Worst thing, people could do anything they wanted, simply because they could and there was no one who would set out to stop them. The very thing that was wrong with the Elemental Nations was that each village only thought for itself and its interests. It didn't matter if there was something evil out there. Unless they were called, these shinobi nations simply turn a blind eye.

Naruto wanted to do away with what he perceived as injustice. If this world cared for human life and shinobi villages cared for what happened outside even if it didn't affect them, people like Orochimaru wouldn't have been allowed to continue living. Nobody cared about the innocent lives the snake Sannin ruined.

Not even Konoha… the very village that allowed the Sannin to run loose.

"You are a good person, Gaara." Naruto said with a smile. "I really hope that you keep that way."

"It is thanks to you…" Gaara said. "You speak as if you are a bad person but the Naruto I know is a good person."

Naruto didn't respond to this, he merely smiled. "You should take the direction to Suna. It's clear of the Akatsuki." The blond said. "Tell your sister that I will come some day for the sparring session."

 **The Following Day**

 **Konohagakure no Sato**

Temari and Kakashi were standing in front of the Godaime Hokage – who looked irate for some reason. It made Kakashi feel uncomfortable in telling the woman that he had failed in his mission to retrieve Naruto. It wasn't the primary mission but it was still a mission nonetheless.

"Kakashi… please have some good news…" Tsunade said to the silver haired Jonin.

Kakashi tried to smile but the smile failed to come out. It was so unlike his smile to fail him on such occasions. "The Kazekage was rescued." The Jonin said. He took out a scroll with his mission report and placed it on the Godaime's desk.

Tsunade nodded and turned to Temari. "Your brother is recovering…" she said. It was obvious the only reason the blonde was here was because her brother had been brought here.

Temari smiled happily. "Where is he?" she just wanted to see him. Last time she saw him, he had looked as if he was dying.

"Hospital…" Tsunade did not give out the specific location because she didn't want the woman to leave the office. "He is sleeping. I need him asleep for a little while longer for his body to rest." Tsunade's mask hardened slightly. "The fact that you know he is here means that you met up with Naruto."

"Naruto arrived in Suna before the rescue team. I joined him when he was setting out. We found Kankuro and he offered to bring him here having suggested that the best medical expertise could only be found here…" Temari explained lightly.

Tsunade nodded. "I didn't see the clone but I know it was here just to drop off your brother." The Godaime said before turning to Kakashi. "Naruto didn't come back with you… so you failed…" She said with a somewhat nasty frown.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"For crying out loud, Kakashi. I assembled the best team at my disposal and you failed to apprehend him?!" the Godaime was now shouting. "How did you let him escape?!"

"Well…" Kakashi scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well… he just left…"

"What?!"

"You should read the report." Kakashi said with some composure. "He is a lot more powerful than we thought…" He wasn't going to point that Naruto had walked into the village and then left when she had her Anbu to stop him but failed to do so. No, that would infuriate the woman and the Naruto issue was an emotional one.

Tsunade stared at the report for a couple of seconds before looking back at Kakashi. "Is there anything else?"

"You should visit Sakura by the hospital. I thought she'd be awake by now… but she didn't wake up along the way…" The Jonin sounded worried. He had thought it was nothing that endangered her life but seeing that the girl wasn't waking up, he had become worried for her.

"What happened to her?" Tsunade demanded.

"Naruto hit her with a lightning jutsu… if her pained scream was anything to go by, it must have seriously hurt her." The Jonin said in a serious tone.

"That's putting it mildly…" Temari said. "I've seen people crying in pain but never someone like Sakura and I used to walk with person who killed people by crushing their bodies with his sand."

Tsunade wasn't smiling. "I wanted to talk to you…" she said to Temari. "But that can wait. We will talk later after."

"Since we are both going to the hospital, we can talk along the way." Temari offered.

 **Later**

 **Training ground 7**

Sakura stretched out her body within the training ground she had shared so many memories with her teammates who have now abandoned her, both seeking power. She could understand that with Sasuke, it was for revenge over his brother but with Naruto, Sakura could not understand. How could he leave? Especially when he was the son of the Yondaime Hokage.

Then again, shouldn't that be the question she asked the villagers? Why hate him when the reason he was an orphan was because his father had died protecting this very village. It was bitterly ironic that they hailed the Yondaime for 'defeating' the Kyubi but hated Naruto – the baby the Kage used to defeat the Bijuu.

It was the hatred, wasn't?

Sakura shook her head, clearing her head of such thoughts. She was here because her master had told her to come to the training ground because she wanted to see something.

The reason she was even here made her body turn cold. The memory of that pain still burned through her flesh. It had happened in an instant but it had felt as if her whole body was being torn apart. Naruto may have apologized, but she was not going to forgive him for that pain. She was going to break him and then maybe she would feel happy.

"Sakura, do you understand what Naruto did?"

The pinkette shook her head. "I haven't really examined myself. Since you did it, I thought it best to wait for you before I do it myself."

She did know that something was either very wrong or very good with her body and it had something to do with Naruto's jutsu. That jutsu wasn't a normal lightning jutsu used to defeat opponents. It was something else.

"Try to create your punch and hit the ground." Tsunade instructed.

Sakura held out her right hand. Her chakra glowed slightly but this time around, there was a sparkle of lightning. Sakura was surprised to see this. "What's happening?"

"That is the result of that lightning jutsu Naruto used. It's a curse but it will not last forever. We just need you to use your chakra until you are exhausted because the lightning is being kept alive within your system by your chakra…" The Godaime Hokage said. "I will keep watch just to make sure nothing happens. If we don't make sure that chakra is out of your system, it will destroy your chakra system. You can begin."

 **Later that day**

Ino breathed a tired sigh with her eyes staring deeply at the cup of sake sitting next to her. The nights with the gang had become very dull these days. Perhaps it was because things were different and they had grown but she was more or less the same person she had been back then.

Life in general was boring, she'd needed to find a man to keep her entertained but who could be with her? The men around here were either pigs or just plain boring.

"So, how was Naruto?" Ino asked, eyeing Shikamaru and Sakura.

"He seemed fine but tried to kill me…" Sakura said. "He isn't coming to back to Konoha by the way."

"Well, there isn't surprising. He did come to the village and then left. You left but didn't come with him even though you came across him… so that's a given…" Ino said a bit carelessly. "Is there anything else to tell?"

"The bastard has gotten stronger than before…" Kiba barked bitterly. "Couldn't beat him but he ended up running away."

A bitter memory but one that he would avenge… certainly.

"You've never been close to beating Naruto, Kiba…" Ino said, there was a bit of coldness in her tone. "What's happening with this group? Don't we have lives anymore? For the past years we've been living out lives as if we don't have a future without those two. They are out there pursuing something but we are stuck in the past. I'm tired of this. I don't want to grow old without enjoying my life, guys."

That said, the Yamanaka walked away from the group without another word and no one said a word to her.

"All we do talk about is Naruto and Sasuke…" Tenten pointed out. Perhaps that was the reason no one said anything to Ino because they simply could not say she was being irrational.

Shikamaru sighed. This had been a good run but one person who would be hurt the most will be Sakura. They could live their lives but apparently, Sakura could not see a future without those two. She couldn't even see another man with Sasuke still out there. It was a miserable life, but what could he do about it?

 **A Week Later**

A woman's chest was always a magical place that made Jiraiya drool at the thought of rubbing his face against those juicy melons. He wasn't saying that because his head was currently stuck between them, with a bottle of sake on his right hand. To have young beautiful woman with busts that could rival Tsunade was just the dream of any pervert, especially a super pervert.

The Emperor's Palace, as he had come to know this underground fun place had some nice things. Really, Jiraiya could even stay here for a whole year without any worries. Well, as long as he had the money to burn. He was already in debt, having bunt through the money he had when he came in here. This wasn't home or a forest, he paid for everything from the bed he sleeps in to the water he uses to wash himself.

Thinking about his debt, Jiraiya wondered what would happen if he failed to come back to pay the bill. He knew this place was seriously dangerous to those who failed to follow the rules. No, the rules of this place were a law that simply should not be broken, it was almost blasphemy to break some rules.

In his fun, Jiraiya had minded not to break any rules, he didn't want to test things he could not fully understand.

The Sannin's fun was interrupted when a man called his name. the man merely snapped his fingers and the ladies around him walked away with nothing more than seductive smiles towards his direction that made him want to follow them in a hurry, but the pressing matter was the man standing in front of him.

"That wasn't fun…" he said of his disturbed fun. "I paid for those and I don't think my time has expired…" the Sannin couldn't help but grumble disappointedly.

"Correction, you have yet to pay for anything." The man in front of Jiraiya said in a mildly strong tone. "You have been invited to the 3rd level, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya grinned at this; he had tried to get in that place more than twice in the past days, but he had failed each time and with a warning from the guards. Apparently, security was tight and even he a legendary Sannin and a spy master could not move freely to go to any place he wanted. Each time he had tried to something, he had failed. He had exhausted all tricks in his play book, but there was nothing that worked.

But finally, there was a breakthrough, which was coming through an invite.

The Sannin wasn't going to ask any questions regarding why and who, he would do that once he got inside the level. "Lead the way." The Toad Sage said, getting up.

The man nodded and led him out of the room he was in. they walked through dimly lit passages for a couple of minutes, going down the stairs to the last level. It was something that he had noticed; the levels were not separated by a wall. There were many other 'chambers' within each level aside from the main halls.

After finally leaving the stairs, the two walked around a passage on level ground before reaching a steel door. The man leading Jiraiya did hand signs and the steel door slowly opened. "You can go in…" the man said to Jiraiya.

The Toad Sage didn't need to be told twice, with burning anticipation; he hurriedly walked past the steel door. Once he got in, the door closed. The Sannin looked around; it was a large hall, chairs and tables all over with dark booths attached to all three walls. The wall facing him had the bar; there were still a lot of people within the place.

Right at by the bar, Jiraiya saw blond air. he stared, it was definitely Naruto. The blond was sitting on the counter, with someone sitting next to him on a stool. It would be an exaggeration to say the Sannin teleported right next to Naruto, but he had moved with incredible speed.

Yet, upon reaching the blond, he did not say anything but settled on the stool on Naruto's let hand side. A huge glass was pushed to his side. The Sannin didn't waste time in taking a huge gulp before slamming it on the counter.

"Naruto…" the Sannin started.

"Jiraiya…" Naruto responded. "I hear you have accumulated a lot of debt in your time around this place. You do know? If you don't pay up within 30 days, we will either cut both your feet or you will be forced work that debt and some extra."

Jiraiya scoffed. "As if you can make me…"

Naruto smiled. "I don't underestimate your intelligence Jiraiya… so I know you must have discovered it by now that this place is warded with seals."

"I noticed… Did you do this?"

"Of course… You know, I'm not that good with fuiinjutsu to the level I can say, I would even mess up the seal containing the Kyubi. but I have learned a couple of things about barriers and chakra suppression seals." Naruto said. "In one day, I had more than one thousand clones doing different things. That's more than a thousand days. Adding it together, in day, I experienced more than three years. Of course, such memories would need time to adjust, but I would sometimes get clones to sort out some memories whilst I sort some."

Jiraiya had noticed the seals around the place. Really, the whole place was just full of them. The walls were barriers to keep things in and out. It was precisely those things that made some things impossible within the halls. Jiraiya could not have thought that Naruto was the one to have created this place. He hadn't even concluded that he was one who created this place but seeing him sitting on the bar like that had made things easier for him.

Listening to him talk about his experiences made Jiraiya conclude that these five years could have been like more than a hundred years for Naruto. Surely, it suited him because of his ability to create Shadow Clones without suffering any effect. However, using them like that would have surely put a strain on his mind.

He looked just fine though. Well, he did say he had clones sort out some thoughts.

The Toad Sage could not really express his happiness at seeing his godson nor his relief at seeing that Naruto was healthy and in one piece. It was something for him to cheer even though there were still questions that he was going to demand that they be answered by the blond.

Jiraiya stared at the glass in front of him silently before drawing a line through his lips. "It must have been a hell of a training you did. Using Kage Bunshins will have surely improved your abilities. You always had the potential to grow further than what normal shinobi can…"

"There were times it wasn't pleasant… there were times I spent crawling down a cold floor because I could not stand on my feet… times I felt as if I was going to die… if not for the Kyubi's power, my entire body would be full of scars." Naruto responded in a blank tone.

The tone was strange to Jiraiya but somehow, he understood. The 'years' he lived while training and the pain he must have felt in experimentation of jutsus.

"Why go so far, Naruto? Why did you even leave?" There was no anger; Jiraiya's tone was just filled with curiosity. He just wanted Naruto to explain why he did what he did. Perhaps he could understand. No, he hoped to understand because it would be a pain if he could not understand the reasons.

He had so many nights where he tried to figure out the reasons but nothing ever came to mind. He simply could not understand with whatever explanation he thought of giving. That was why he wanted Naruto to respond with him keeping an open mind.

"Because I have a dream, Jiraiya…" Naruto said. "I know I can give a couple of reasons but you will not understand them. You won't understand why I had to leave, and I will not explain. At least not now. But the obvious reason is that I wanted to train alone." Naruto shook his head before continuing. "I imagine it was difficult for you, but I will not apologise for my actions because I do not regret it."

Jiraiya was silent. He wanted to snap at Naruto for giving him such a response, for telling him that he could not understand. But the Sannin held his nerve. How long has it been? He no longer had the energy; he was only pleased he was seeing his godson. Snapping and attempting to pummel him would probably not end well for him.

"You are really not going to tell me anything?"

"You don't need to ask twice." Naruto said.

Jiraiya fell silent for a couple of moments. "I guess you are not returning to Konoha. The fact that you left your headband and even severed your contract with the Toads means this much. This is something that I prepared myself even though I kept looking for you."

"Konoha is no longer my home." Naruto said. "You are not going to fight me?"

"With the seals all over this place? Don't take me for a fool. This is your house and any attempt from my part to do anything will result in the seal activating…" Jiraiya said. "There will be plenty of opportunities to do that outside of this place. If you don't want to return by choice, you will return by force."

Naruto smiled upon hearing those words. "Really, Jiraiya? One no longer has that freedom anymore? I'm not a slave you know. I can decide how I want to live my life.

"Well, everyone thinks they are right and others are wrong. I don't want to think that I am wrong. No, I was not wrong to leave, Konoha. You may not like it, but for my dream, it was the right decision.

"In any case, I won't be doing much at this time anyway. I must at least half the members of the Akatsuki. I'm sure I got their attention by stopping them from taking Gaara and successfully taking down two of their members."

Jiraiya eyed Naruto with surprise. He was surprised that Naruto was going after the Akatsuki by himself and not that he had managed to defeat two members of the group. At this stage, nothing ought to surprise him about the blond.

"How did you manage to evade them when here?"

"Didn't I say? I'm good with barriers." Naruto responded with a wave of his right hand. "The Law of nature says that whatever goes up, must come down because of the force of gravity. Of course, some people have found a way to stay up, for as long as they have chakra. Basically, I apply the same principle in my seals. The seal each one has is a code that is written into the barrier. If you are in the outside, at a certain point, without the seal, the barrier will reject you, but if you are inside and remove the seal, the barrier attracts the chakra inside of you."

Jiraiya frowned at the thought. "The barrier isn't in just one wall, it's in all walls… if one removes the seal, they are likely to be torn apart…" The Sannin paused before shaking his head. "No, if chakra is the attraction, then as you long as you have chakra, the barrier will suck it all out until you die. What gave you the idea to create something like that?"

"The rule of nature." Naruto responded. "I guess this is it for our time, Jiraiya. We will hopefully meet soon… for now, I need to disappear for a little while."

Jiraiya's head nearly snapped when he turned to face Naruto – he was alarmed that the blond would want to disappear so soon after just appearing. "Do you think I will let you disappear again?"

"I have attracted the attention of the Akatsuki… so for now they might possibly bring their attention towards me. But my body isn't able to handle the torment of constant battles." Naruto said. "I realized in the last battle I did that if I'm not careful, life will end soon before anything even begins." The blond jumped to the floor. "Go home, Jiraiya and remember to pay your debt. We don't want the hounds of this place going after a legendary Sannin."

Jiraiya grabbed Naruto's hand before he could leave. "Wait!" the Sannin said in a hardened tone. "Why did you create this place, and what is your dream, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at the hand holding him for a moment before turning his head slightly to take a glance at the Toad Sage. "Peace and madness, Jiraiya. I want a world where even Bijuus can be free to live on their own without being told that they cannot be left alone because they are dangerous. I want a world where injustice is punished, a world that recognizes its faults, nations that are not ruled by greed and the hunger of power.

"I created this place as an experiment, a place to learn, and to again something. When there are rules, that have consequences, people learn to behave. We are not righteous, nor are we perfect. We are creatures who will mistakes and repeat them. It's not a learning curve when we do wrong and do not face the consequence of our actions." Naruto said before shrugging Jiraiya off.

The blond disappeared along with small gusts of winds, leaving Jiraiya by himself, wondering what it was that he could have done different to avoid this situation.

Unknown Location

Deidara knew when he was in the sky; he had been flying for a long time now. Even though this place that surrounded him was unfamiliar, what was certain was that he was flying in the air. This just made him frown knowing that he could not be found by anyone when flying, unless this thing was flying over the Elemental Nations.

The blonde Akatsuki Nin looked around; he was in a hall, which seemed to be the centre of whatever he was flying in. Naruto was sitting on a throne, legs crossed with his head resting on his left hand, right fingers tapping slowly.

The shinobi glared madly at Naruto. "Where are we?"

"Above sea, flying in a ship created by the Sky Nation. It is more like a fortress designed for destruction." Naruto said with an expressionless mask on his face. "I want answers on the Akatsuki. We will begin with simple ones, like how many members does the Akatsuki have, who is the next target, what do you know about their powers and what is the end goal… can you answer those?"

"Fuck… I'm not telling you anything!"

"I see…" Naruto started. "I don't have any mind reading techniques, so I will have to make you suffer."

"Do you think pain will make me talk?!"

Naruto snapped his fingers and four chains burst from the sides. The chains wrapped around Deidara's legs and two more pierced through his upper body. He was uplifted from the ground and made to hang in mid-air with the chains holding him together.

"If you think you can take out clay from your mouth to surprise me, think again." Naruto said. "After 30 seconds, those chains will be pulling you apart. At a certain point, your body will not be able to handle it anymore. Just for measure, we will squeeze your head until it busts. I will not put anything on your mouth but you are not allowed to scream. If you do that, in the same speed as with the pulling, I will drill a burning kunai through your eye balls."

 **End of chapter**

 **I've been sitting with this one for days no. The first scene was my biggest problem because I didn't know if I captured it correctly or it was even suitable in the situation. I decided to just load it.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	9. Chapter 9

What was Temari's first impression of Naruto Uzumaki? Ah, yes he had been loud, not good looking and had appeared weak. But after his battle with Gaara, things change. No, everything changed. He was the first person to actually defeat Gaara in battle – Impressively when her brother had even transformed into Shukaku.

But what had permanently changed her attitude toward him were his words to Gaara. Naruto changed her brother. She had a younger brother once more because of him. Of course, he'd still remained somewhat of an idiot.

He wasn't like that anymore, was he? He was a mature shinobi who ran around the Elemental Nations without a forehead over his head. And yet again, he had saved her brother. This time though, he had displayed almighty power and perhaps a bit of arrogance. But you could not blame him with just how powerful he had become.

Temari still couldn't understand why he left Konoha. Even though she had camped with him through an entire night, the thought never came. She had been worried about her brother and perhaps she didn't want to open herself up to a person who had abandoned Konoha. One could never be too safe. There hadn't been a need nevertheless.

"You are thinking too much." Gaara said to his sister. They were sitting inside his office.

Temari looked at her brother's face: it was certainly different from the mask he'd worn back then. Well, they were no longer brats any more. And besides, he was no longer the murderous person he was: her brother was now a respected Kage.

"I was just thinking about things…" Temari said. "The Hokage really wants Naruto back in the Hidden Leaf. She appears to be really hurt by his decision…" there was nothing in Temari's face that said she felt sorry for the Godaime Hokage.

Her reason for going to the Leaf had been Kankuro. When she found him alive, she was happy. She had left him there because Tsunade said rest was necessary. Nevertheless, she had seen just how much Naruto had meant to her and his friends.

It was surprising that he would even go as far as to brutalize Sakura in the way he did. Temari still did think there was more to it. Perhaps he just wanted to cut his ties with the people of the Hidden Leaf. But that thought raised all kinds of questions in her head.

A major one was: what was it that he wanted to do that would require him to cut ties with friends?

"She did see him as family and I'm sure the same can be said for him as well…" Gaara paused. He adopted a thoughtful look on his face for a few seconds before speaking again. "But she does have to consider what Naruto wants for his life. As things stand, he hasn't done anything wrong. And from my conversation with him, he is after something. Big dreams… if I might add."

Well that could explain all that power. Aside from the Akatsuki, what could it be that he does wants to do with all that power? It had honestly frightened her. She'd thought Gaara was powerful, but compared to what that man displayed, it was nothing.

"We all want something. We all want something for the people we love… when you think someone is straying toward the wrong path; we will try to bring them in line…" Temari said wisely. It wasn't the same story with Sasuke. The Uchiha left for revenge. That was no secret. What good was that life of holding onto hatred?

"Naruto knows what he is doing…" Gaara was firm in his response. "What do you think of him?"

There appeared to be something in Gaara's tone. He couldn't be asking her what she thought as a woman in need of love. Naruto was nice, but she hadn't stopped to have such thoughts.

"He is good for an ally. He is someone we certainly don't want as an enemy…" Temari said in a firm tone. "There is no reason we should be enemies as well."

To this, Gaara nodded in agreement. "My thoughts exactly."

 **Konoha**

"Hello, hime; it has been long!" Jiraiya burst through the window and said to Tsunade with a wide and stupid grin on his face.

Tsunade almost responded with violence at the sudden intrusion. Not to mention it has been years since she last heard that voice. Jiraiya. It was really him: that stupid grin, those eyes, the feeling, it was really her former teammate. Tsunade wanted to grin madly as well but she contained her emotions from exploding. But she was truly happy to see him again.

There was no one like Jiraiya. He wasn't just unique because he was a shameless pervert but it was because he was her friend. He was the only person she could talk to on the same level. She could not call Shizune a friend – the woman was like a subordinate. Jiraiya was a friend. Maybe more than that. She would certainly be saddened to the point of letting some tears out if something were to happen to him.

Those emotions aside, the other thing Tsunade felt was anger. She thought of hitting the Sannin for leaving her alone. He simply could not bring her back to this village and then abandon her. She had been lonely. There was no Naruto to bother her with missions or piss her off by calling her an old hag. There was none of that. And worse, there was no Jiraiya to spend time with reminiscing about the past.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Jiraiya!" Tsunade said in a hardened tone. "And if I don't like your response, you will spend the night in the hospital."

"Ah come on, hime…" Jiraiya whined. "You are not going to respond to my feelings? Don't you miss me too?" Jiraiya's tone was light, his eyes glancing around Tsunade's face, trying to spot any change in her expression. He grinned when he caught something. "You do miss me!" He exclaimed.

Tsunade scoffed, but with a warm gentle smile. "In your dreams…" she said. Her tone was betrayed by her smile and facial expression.

Jiraiya laughed light heartedly before turning on a serious expression. "I met Naruto: he looked fine, lively… he has really changed…"

"Lively?" Tsunade was surprised. The Naruto she had seen hadn't been lively. "That isn't the same Naruto I saw… he was like the same Naruto that returned with you after your training trip. Just a lot more powerful…" He was a lot more powerful than she had thought. It was truly going past her wild imaginations. The report from Kakashi was something else and what Temari had told her. It was just ridiculous and she had a feeling that they had yet to see everything.

"I saw him sitting at a bar with a smile, laughing with his subordinates. But I guess growing up does that to you…" the Sannin said. "He was being a little philosophical with me…" the Sannin paused and chose to focus on the strength of the blond. "So, he really did take down two members of the Akatsuki."

Tsunade nodded. "And fought a team I had sent to fight the Akatsuki and capture him if possible… I have decided to raise his level to S-rank in the bingo books. I'm not going to put a price on his head. I don't want people going after him for money." The Godaime said. It would certainly make things difficult for him to move around. She wanted him to come back, but she wasn't going to make his life miserable because of it. She cared too much for him to do that.

"Maybe that is for the best…" Jiraiya said in thought. "He will probably come back to the village. Not to stay, but to speak with me. From our conversation, I got an idea of what he wants in this world. I have a feeling it will be big and could potentially the Elemental Nations around."

From how Naruto said it, there was no doubt sometimes he would act in a way that will get him hated by people. But he appeared to be ready for all that. Jiraiya couldn't tell what exactly it would be that he would be doing. Taking Naruto's words as they were, wasn't giving him a good image and so he chose to ignore those thoughts and thought of something, positive.

"That could explain why he decided to get more power…" Tsunade said. He was displaying amazing power without even using the Kyubi's power and that worried her. All other Jinchuriki were considered to be powerful because they utilized their Bijuu's power but not Naruto.

"I will get more details when we speak again…" he did hint that they would speak soon. Jiraiya assumed the blond was going to get some rest. "At the same time, we still don't know what the Akatsuki is really planning. Both Iwagakure and Kumogakure have rebuilt their military strength. We have not actually been doing that. In any case, we are not looking toward war…" the Sannin said. "Naruto doesn't seem to know why the Akatsuki want to gather Jinchurikis as well. But I did get a lead on their leader. I will try to talk to Naruto about it…"

"You have dug other information as well…" Tsunade had thought he would have been focused on trying to find Naruto.

"I got all kinds of Intel from a place Naruto built. They have all kinds of information for the right price… I also think that they spy on the people who go there. You see shinobi from all Five Great Nations, they would obviously spy on them when they have private conversations…" Jiraiya said in thought. "I will tell you more about it later… when we drink. For now, I'm going to conduct some research… I have missed many years of data…"

Before Tsunade could say anything, the Sannin disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Godaime Hokage sighed. A second later, she smiled: at least he was still Jiraiya.

 **A week later**

 **Cloud Country**

Yugito cursed silently, watching two of the enemies who just would not die. She had fought the two Akatsuki opponents with everything she had. With the life she had. Yet, there was no winning this battle. These opponents were not human. They were inhumane.

Even a fully transformed Bijuu wasn't enough to take them down. They had fought survived and outpaced her. She had little stamina left the cursing bastard seemed ready to have another go at her. His crazed expression: It pissed her off.

She had burnt him with blue flames. Hit him with lightning jutsus. Yet, he came out of with burns. The only thing that was loud was his curses. Not the injuries. Not the pain. He just didn't stay down. No natter how hard she hit him. He would not stay down.

Yugito cursed her arrogance. She had thought because she was a Jinchuriki she could take them on. The moment she learned they were of the criminal organisation, she was ready to take them down by herself: A thoughtless move on her part. She was seriously going to die. She had underestimated them.

But who could have thought that she would not be fighting humans? They were monsters. The irony wasn't lost. But this was just the reality of her situation.

She could no longer think arrogantly. If she did not escape, she was going to die. Seriously. She didn't have enough energy to fight them anymore. She just needed to run for it.

Yugito closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her chakra. She kept her senses up. Just to make sure there was no surprise. You could never take your eyes off your opponent.

Once she had enough chakra, Yugito twisted and ran.

"Huh?!" Hidan exclaimed seeing Yugito burst through boulder she had created to trap them in this building. "The bitch is running!"

None of them were that fast. They were infamously called the zombie brothers by Kisame. Their speciality wasn't speed. However, Kakuzu wasn't the least concerned about it.

"There is no need to fret. She can't reach Kumo with her injuries. She will fall somewhere soon and we will catch her…" Kakuzu almost sounded indifferent to this. It was as if he didn't care if they had to chase Yugito.

"If you had let me perform the ritual, we wouldn't be going through this."

"You'd have killed." Kakuzu snapped. "Let's go before we lose sight of her. We don't want to fail in our mission. Deidara and Sasori failed. We don't want to be the next ones to fail."

 **With Naruto**

Being a Jinchuriki was truly a blessing when you had to find other Jinchurikis, especially the ones who are fighting. Kurama had let him know of his target and he had made his move towards the Two-tails.

It was problematic that the Akatsuki was still attacking. Deidara hadn't given him enough information. It appeared that even the members of the Akatsuki were not fully clear on the goal of the organization but were merely being used by the leader. Then again, it was a win for wanted criminals. The Akatsuki gave them protection. No one willingly attacked a member of the Akatsuki.

If they were riding solo, they would have their villages running after them. But with the Akatsuki, there was caution. The organization was powerful and apparently, no one was more powerful than the mysterious leader of the group. Naruto had nothing on the leader – which was honestly a frustrating part of planning.

'A Jinchuriki fighting using his or her host's powers really does stink.' Naruto said to the Kyubi. Perhaps it was because he had trained himself to be able to sense other Jinchurikis but when they use their powers, they could not hide.

Kurama could sense Matatabi even from his cell. There was no doubt that the Bijuu's Jinchuriki had been fighting using its power. They had sensed it some distance back. It was difficult to hide after such a battle unless you had ways to seal off your Bijuu's chakra. Added with the loss of chakra from exhaustion, you could hide perfectly because other shinobi could not track you easily.

'To you, maybe,' Kurama said. 'Hurry up and get this over with. We don't know what might come up ahead once we have dealt with this.'

Naruto shook his head at the Bijuu's impatience. Perhaps it was even impatient now because it has been years since he spoke of the plan but nothing has really been happening since he made his decision. Even now, he was still trying to deal with the Akatsuki, there didn't appear to be any hurry from him. He was taking leisurely pace.

Naruto didn't doubt his strength. Perhaps overconfidence would be his downfall but he simply could not say he wasn't moving quickly because he wasn't sure of his strength and the enemies he would have to engage. The power was there. Kurama's power was there. There was still room for growth even.

Although they had to move things, rushing head on would not make things better. It would only put them in dangerous situations than what was necessary.

Yugito's body stiffened slightly as she sensed a chakra signature gaining close to her. It was an unfamiliar feeling. The chakra was certainly not from the Hidden Cloud. At the same time, it wasn't the Akatsuki. Had it been them, she would have already sped up. She didn't want to make any unnecessary movements even now.

But what was of certainty was that the person was moving towards her. She could tell. She knew. Running away wasn't going to make the person go away. It was something else given that they didn't appear to be hiding their chakra. If they were, she wouldn't have sensed them. Not in her condition.

The blonde Jinchuriki of Kumogakure sped through the rocky terrain she was in, trying to head back closer to her village. She suddenly came to a halt when she sensed something. The breaks were hit hard as she slid slightly through the ground. A person crashed landed in front of her, just inches away from her.

Yugito's heart beat fast at the threat. This was a stranger. The cold look on his eyes, his lips, it made her fearful. He was powerful and was certainly coming after her. Even though no word left his lips, Yugito quickly took a fighting stance, a kunai ready to stab the blonde.

He then smiled, as if amused by her putting up her guard. He didn't say anything but took a step toward her. Yugito took a step back. No word left her lips. She was trembling, in both fear and exhaustion. A battle wasn't something she could afford at this moment. Her halt now meant that those seemingly immortal bastards would be gaining up on her.

The fear was quickly replaced by frustration. Her lack of power frustrated her. Her exhaustion frustrated her. The fact that she didn't know this person bothered her massively. She couldn't make a careless move of attacking without thinking. She wanted to attack so he could get out of her way. But he wasn't doing anything. Taking a step toward her had been his only movement. Now, he was just standing, watching her, the amused expression on her lips.

It pissed her off.

Was he simply laughing at her frustrations? He didn't look like he wanted to attack her. If anything, his guard wasn't even up. But his lack of communication with her worried her. It made her cautious. She was tired. Not too much chakra in her system. Using jutsu would leave her in an unfavourable situation.

"Yugito Nii."

The first words that came out of his lips were her name. The amused look had long gone when he spoke. But he still had a smile. It was small. If she wasn't seeing it wrong because of her weariness, it was a reassuring smile. Was it for that he wasn't going to attack her? Yugito couldn't tell.

He knew her, but she didn't know him. But it wasn't surprising that he knew her. He was evidently coming after her after all.

Yugito straightened herself slightly but she still kept her guard and the kunai was still gripped firmly on her right hand. She tried to appear as if she wasn't suffering as much as she was. She had bruises all over and blood, perhaps the image didn't sell. But that wasn't her worry.

"Who are you?" Yugito asked: her eyes were narrowed. There was no hint of her weariness in her tone, just suspicion. This person didn't even have a headband on his forehead. She couldn't tell from which village he came from.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. A disappointed expression passed through his lips: it made Yugito frown slightly but the blond didn't comment on her reaction. "Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuriki of the Kyubi… I'm surprised you can't tell I am like you. Is your Bijuu that tired from fighting or are not communicating with it?"

Surprise washed over her face when those words registered. Yet, she didn't allow herself to show too much of it. He was a Jinchuriki and not just any Jinchuriki but a container of the most powerful Bijuu? If they were going to fight, it would prove to be a problem. Not much if she hadn't been fighting. Kyubi or not, Yugito believed she could take on anyone.

She smiled bitterly at that thought. Wasn't it that confidence that nearly got her captured? She had been overconfident in her abilities and nearly paid the price for it. She could still pay the price. This person was a Jinchuriki, but she couldn't tell if he was an enemy or a friend. Either way, her guard remained unshakeable.

"What do you want?" That was perhaps the main question.

"Good question." Naruto said. "I'm here to help you escape and to defeat the men wearing red clouds. Considering your condition, I'd say they did a good number on you and are still coming after you. They don't appear to be in hurry. They must have figured that you won't go too far."

He was saying that, but Yugito still could not trust his words. This was the shinobi world after all. He wasn't giving her any weird vibes, but she still couldn't trust him.

'You don't have to worry… they mean no harm.'

That was Matatabi's response to her worries. She wanted to respond, but Naruto was already inches away from her. The blond touched her forehead with his index finger and Yugito became shrouded by crimson chakra.

"Go to Kumogakure. That should be enough… I will handle the two."

"I fought them… you will need my help to fight them. Besides that, two against two is better than two against one."

Naruto stared at the blonde Jinchuriki for a long minute. It didn't look as if she was going to back down. He could play with her for a bit. But he didn't want to do that. He wanted to deal with this alone. She wasn't in any position to fight.

Naruto sat down on a small boulder before responding. "I don't need you but it would be irrational to dismiss your recent experience fighting them. Tell me what you know."

Yugito went on to explain her encounter with the two Akatsuki members who could not die. At least Naruto had been familiar with Hidan. The story of his former home village was something that he had been interested in. Nevertheless, he didn't have any battle experience with the man. Yugito's information filled in some blanks.

Once she was done, Yugito gave the blond a firm look. "Do you understand why I'm saying you will need me?" One person wasn't enough for those two. She was firm in her belief that the two of them could cause much damage and actually manage to defeat the enemies.

Naruto nodded. "I understand," he said calmly. He snapped his fingers and the chakra surrounding Yugito vanished. Naruto was upon the Jinchuriki in the blink of an eye, "which is why you must stay away."

 **Five minutes later**

Hidan and Kakuzu: his next targets. If he does deal with these two, it would make it four out of ten. It was a good start but these two would represent a major challenge. He would get over it nevertheless. After all, he didn't think that there was challenge that could be said to be beyond him.

"Kakuzu, isn't that the Kyubi's Jinchuriki?" Hidan demanded from his partner.

Kakuzu didn't offer an immediate response. It was true that the blond was targeting them after all. But they still could not just let this go. If the blond presented himself to them, they could take him on. It would be one less problem. The Jinchuriki had after all, taken two members of the Akatsuki by himself. He would not underestimate things, but he still thought they could take the blond.

"That is him alright." Kakuzu responded in an emotionless tone. Being alive for many years did result in such an expression. What was there to experience now? "Can we assume that you have taken the Two-tails Jinchuriki to safety? We no longer sense her chakra."

"Who knows?" Naruto responded with an indifferent shrug. "You have me to worry about and I have you two to worry about. If you can't sense her, she isn't here."

Kakuzu would not disagree with that. He prepared himself for battle. But before he could do anything, Hidan charged towards the blond. The aged shinobi merely shook his head. He didn't even try to stop the crazy idiot because he would not listen to him. Besides, it wouldn't be a bad idea to use Hidan as an experiment to see how the blond fights.

And so, he simply watched.

Naruto watched as Hidan dashed towards him with a large weapon on his hand. The man was cussing loudly. Naruto didn't pay mind to what he was saying; he was simply focused on the man's movements.

Naruto watched carefully as Hidan swung his tri-bladed scythe. The weapon was coming in from his right hand, straight towards his face. It was fast, but not fast enough. He leaned back slightly and watched as it whizzed past his face.

Hidan's reaction to the near miss was fast and slightly unexpected. The man took a single step forward and changed his grip on the handle of the scythe. He then pulled it back towards Naruto. It was heading straight to Naruto, its back glaring at him.

The blond was forced to jump back to avoid the swing. It wouldn't have cut him but it was unnecessary taking hits he could have otherwise avoided. Naruto landed a couple of feat back. His eyes had never left the Akatsuki Nin as he jumped.

So when Hidan lunged toward him, Naruto was at hand to respond. The man reached him, cursing loudly about something. He then swung his scythe from an upward position, slamming it down towards Naruto's left shoulder. The three blades were glaring at Naruto dangerously. It wasn't something he could block with a sword from this distance. Even if he used a sword, it would have to be a long sword. He did have that in his possession, right?

Naruto attempted to jump back to the downward swing. But Hidan suddenly threw a cable toward his feet. Naruto had not been expecting it m. He was caught by surprise. The cable tied around his left foot and the man tried to pull him towards the incoming scythe.

Hidan had tremendous physical power. Naruto could feel that from the way the man was pulling the cable tied to his foot. In a split second, Naruto formed a small Rasengan on his right hand. He then slammed the jutsu on the blades of the scythe. This slammed the weapon away from his body.

Hidan didn't let go of the rope tied around his foot. The man just dropped his hold on the handle of his scythe and jumped above the blond. He had a wicked grin on his face, right hand formed a fist and he attempted to slam it on Naruto's chest.

A fire jutsu would be a second late. Naruto didn't want to get hit. The blond didn't even do hand seals as there was no time. Hidan would hit him before he finished hand signs or even execute a jutsu.

" **Futon: Toppa**."

The gusts were relatively small, but they did enough to stop Hidan from hitting him. They actually did more than that. The Akatsuki nin made no attempt to shield himself before the gusts of wind slammed into his body head on. It was a direct hit. The force of the wind pummelled the man away from Naruto.

Naruto didn't have the time to regain his footing: Kakuzu suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The immortal shinobi landed right next to him, and then kicked on the side of his ribcage: it was a brutal kick that made Naruto wince painfully.

The cable on his foot stopped him from going far as Hidan pulled it once more. Naruto still managed to get hold of it and remove it before standing straight on both feet.

"What the fuck are you doing, Kakuzu?" Hidan shouted. He was only holding the cable of his scythe. The weapon itself was still laying a distance away.

"I'm trying to finish things quickly before we encounter more problems…" Kakuzu responded in a measured tone. He only had two hearts left now after that other Jinchuriki killed the other three. Yes, she had been that strong. Then again, it didn't help them that she had prepared a trap for them.

"This is my battle. Fuck off!" Hidan cursed loudly. "I am winning this…" he added with a nod, his attention ready to go back to Naruto – who was simply watching the exchange.

"Yeah, only an idiot would say that." Kakuzu scoffed.

"What did you say you blasphemous bastard?" Hidan appeared ready to lunge at his partner.

"Think…" Kakuzu snapped. He paused for effect before speaking once more. "The Two-tails Jinchuriki must have returned to Kumogakure. The more time we spend here, the closer she gets. If she gets there, Kumo might send reinforcements."

Hidan was excited more than anything. And he simply said, "That just means I will get people to sacrifice for Jashin-sama!"

Kakuzu had no response for that but luckily for him, Naruto spoke. "While this is slightly amusing, I don't have all day." The blond said calmly.

Hidan was a former Yugakure shinobi. The Hidden Village had certainly taken a new view on how it handles its issues. It has walked away from militarization to focus on more economic functions for the village to continue surviving. The village that forgot war, huh?

"Just as you say you don't have much time before the people from Kumogakure arrive here…" There was no such thing: it was a lie. Kakuzu had merely said this based on his observations. And Naruto was going with it. "I also have pla-"

"Shut up!" Naruto was cut off by Hidan. The man even went as far as to swing his scythe at Naruto. He swung it using the cable attached to it. It was a short distance attack.

Naruto considered it to be a little rude and very much disrespectful. Perhaps it was arrogance. Perhaps he'd become full of himself because he felt a little strong. But for a human like Hidan to interrupt him like that? It was a lack of respect. He still didn't voice his thoughts. He had the scythe to worry about.

Although it was hurled at him from a distance, it came toward him fast and remarkably pointed at him. The accuracy was something else. It was still something he could not easily block by a sword.

Naruto did as he had done before when the scythe was close to him. He jumped back slightly. And once more, he watched it split the air past his face before he landed on the ground.

"T'ch…" For a moment, Hidan glared at Naruto while pulling his scythe. "Why won't you stay still for a little? Well, it won't be fun if you don't struggle…" yet the fact that Naruto was avoiding his every attack was a little frustrating.

Naruto didn't offer a response. He did hand seals and slammed his right hand on the ground. In a puff of smoke, a very long sharp pure silver sword appeared. It was shining a bit as if it had just been crafted.

The second the blond grabbed the black handle of the sword, he disappeared in a blur. He flashed in front of Hidan, the sword splitting the air from his right side, heading towards Hidan's left shoulder. The Akatsuki member reacted instinctively by raising his scythe on the side. Naruto's sword clashed with the scythe, causing sparks to fly and the sound of metal clashing to cry through the battlefield.

Hidan grinned as he pushed Naruto's sword away from him. But the blond wasn't put off. He appeared willing. And his response was even lightning fast: he swung his sword once more just after Hidan had pushed it. The sword was swung across the man's gut. Hidan didn't even have the time to react when the sword slid through his gut, leaving a gaping wound that soon causes blood to gush out.

Naruto still didn't let up. He raised his sword, holding it with just his right hand and attempted to split Hidan in half with a downward slash but the man blocked his swing with his scythe.

Naruto jumped back slightly and watched Hidan with interest. The man didn't appear mind his wound or the pain. Surprisingly, the wound healed.

"Well, that is going to be a problem…" Naruto said as he strengthened the grip on his blade. Once more, he lunged toward Hidan. But when he got closer, he kicked the ground. This was meant to draw debris to shield him. It did enough for the blond to work his tricks.

Naruto appeared right behind Hidan, body leaned forward, and the sword was touching the ground as it moved up towards Hidan's back. But before he could strike, he was hit by a water jutsu. It was more like a water bullet and it sent him flying to the sides. Naruto was fast to recover his bearings and flipped once in mid-air before landing on a boulder.

The second he touched the boulder, Naruto's senses perked up as Kakuzu flashed above him in mid-air. The man had a right fist driving down towards him. Naruto didn't try to block the punch, he jumped back – he was being forced to do that a lot. Kakuzu's punch hit the boulder. There was enough force to shatter the boulder in just one go. Naruto felt relieved he hadn't tried to block the punch: it would have been disastrous had he attempted to do so.

Sensing something from behind him while watching Kakuzu turn a sizeable boulder into debris, Naruto blurred out of sight. He appeared a behind Kakuzu in mid-air. On his last location, Hidan missed him with his scythe. The foul mouthed Akatsuki nin cursed loudly at the miss.

Kakuzu released black threads through his back. They rushed towards Naruto like a horde of snakes. Before doing anything, Naruto flung his blade with speed. Sword sped through the air in the blink of an eye. Kakuzu nearly breathed a sigh of relief when it blasted past him but then he realized that there was someone in front of him who could not see the blade. He was shielding it and with the speed in which it was travelling, there was no way Hidan was going to avoid it.

Hidan could only blink when the blade pierced through his throat and then sent him down the ground. He was pinned to the ground with the sword through his throat.

Kakuzu retracted his threads and turned his attention toward Hidan. For some reason the man was unable to pull the blade from his throat. The money loving Akatsuki nin jumped over to Hidan and tried to remove the blade. It was heavy. Ridiculously heavy. It was not the kind of thing one could swing with just one hand as Naruto has in the speed in which the blond has been doing it.

"Get it out bastard!" Hidan yelled, infuriated. "It's sucking my chakra when I touch the blade."

"If you don't stop talking, I will leave it here until I finish things…" Kakuzu threatened. He didn't say anything else as he sensed Naruto moving.

The blond was charging in from behind. Kakuzu waited for the right moment before slamming his foot down the ground. An earth pillar sprouted from the ground, halting the blond's movements. He flashed behind Naruto, with his right foot swinging through the air. The foot crashed into Naruto's back. Naruto once more wince as it felt as if he had been hit by a ton of bricks. The force of the kick pummeled him into the pillar. He shattered it and was sent flying.

Naruto flew for a couple of seconds before flipping twice to regain his balance. He landed gracefully on clean ground. There was no time to massage his aching back as Kakuzu came crashing towards him with the back of his right foot headed straight towards his head.

Naruto crossed both his hands above his head and bent down slightly for support. When Kakuzu's kick slammed into his defense, the ground beneath Naruto shattered as his feet burrowed into it. The Blond refused to show pain as his arms ached due to the brunt force he felt from Kakuzu's kick.

Naruto channeled his strength and pushed Kakuzu away before doing a quick jump. The moment Naruto took flight, Kakuzu launched his threads.

Naruto did a couple of quick hand seals upon seeing the threads. " **Lightning Style: Vaporizing Lightning**!" Pale lightning burst from Naruto's body in a flash. It happened so quickly that Kakuzu only blinked and his threads were gone as if they'd been turned into ash. He felt relieved that the lightning didn't reach him. He didn't know what would have happened.

Kakuzu was forced into the defensive when Naruto did hand seals once more. The man folded his hands across his face to shield his face against an attack.

" **Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets** " The Uzumaki released five bullets, one by one. They all sped towards Kakuzu in blinding speed. And one by one, they slammed into Kakuzu's upper body, leaving around marks. Yet, there was no other visible damage. The man didn't even move when the bullets hit him.

When Kakuzu tried to remove his hands from his face, his eyes went wide when he caught a glimpse of Naruto. The blond was right in front of him: his knees were bent down slightly, body leaning forward and an orb of flames on the palm of his right hand. The flames looked really intense.

Naruto slammed the orb of flames right onto Kakuzu's gut before jumping away. The orbs exploded into a large column of scorching flames that covered Kakuzu's entire body. The explosion was so violent that it tore through the ground, even causing Naruto to shield himself slightly from the flames. The man burst out of the flames, with burn masks all over. He no longer even had his cloak any more. His upper body was exposed.

The man had a nasty look on his face. That jutsu could have killed him. Well, it technically did 'kill' him. Even Naruto looked surprised to see him alive.

"Well that was unexpected…" Naruto said with clear surprise. "I put so much chakra into that jutsu, I was expecting you to either drop down with massive burns or just be incinerated by those flames…" he paused. "You people really can't die huh?"

Kakuzu didn't respond. He flashed towards Hidan and grabbed the sword pinning the man down. This time around, he put as much strength as he could to lift it up. Once he'd done so, he looked at it.

But didn't get the chance to say anything as Hidan exploded. "You bastard! I'm going to sacrifice you for that!" Hidan was already charging towards Naruto.

Kakuzu wasn't surprised when Naruto appeared in front of him. "This is a precious weapon you have. I'm sure it can sell for a high price."

"Please give it back…" Naruto said, holding out his right hand.

Kakuzu shook his head. "I will keep it…" he said before taking a couple of steps forward. He then swung the sword across the air, leveling it towards Naruto's neck. Because it was slow, Naruto ducked under the swing and took two steps forward before slamming a punch on Kakuzu's gut. The man didn't move, not even a slightly. It felt as if Naruto had hit a wall of bricks.

Kakuzu responded by kneeing Naruto on his gut. The attack forced Naruto to stumble back slightly, out of balance. Kakuzu twisted around, swinging the blade on his hand. Naruto was barely able to escape major damage. Just barely. The blade slid through his chest, leaving a cut.

There was no time to reflect on that or to regain his footing. Hidan hit him with a brutal kick on the side of his neck. His neck snapped due to the force behind the kick.

Before he could even take flight, Kakuzu grabbed him by his left foot. Naruto cursed when he felt the man's touch. There was a resounding boom when the man slammed him to the ground. And another when Hidan jumped on him, intent on stomping on his chest with both his feet. Naruto blocked this by folding his hands just above him.

When Hidan jumped up, Kakuzu pulled him up violently, causing his body to jerk up slifhtly. The man slammed his foot on his chest while Hidan twisted his mid-air and slammed his right foot on his temple. Naruto was sent rocketing to the side by the double assault.

"You are fighting differently from how you fought both Deidara and Sasori…" Hidan said, taking a look at Naruto – who had recovered from Hidan's kick.

Being cut by his sword was just embarrassing. Although he did not blush in the embarrassment, Naruto felt that he could not take the feeling.

"You are holding onto the sword well… despite its weight…" Naruto said. "Your physical strength is something though. I didn't think you'd take my punch just like that."

"I felt it…maybe a little…" Kakuzu said. Still, the blond hasn't been deterred much so far. Yet, this sword really felt special. He could tell its material was strong. Given its weight, sharpness and how fast Naruto was, he should have been able to cut through Hidan's scythe. But it hadn't left a dent, why was that?

Naruto created a clone. The clone sped toward both Hidan and Kakuzu while doing hand seals. " **Katon: Fire Breath**!" The clone released stream of flames from its mouth. The flames sped towards Kakuzu who readied the sword on his hand. When the flames neared him, he swung the blade towards them. When it connected with the flames, it split them in half.

Kakuzu didn't show his surprise. He merely nodded silently… "As expected. Hidan said it absorbed his chakra after touching its blade. Thought it might do the same for Ninjutsu."

"Not all ninjutsu… just some elements…" Naruto clarified, he was holding out his right hand, a Rasengan formed. And then blades started to form slowly. A screeching sound engulfed the battlefield.

"Hidan, stay back…" Kakuzu said watching the jutsu in Naruto's hand. There was a lot of power behind the jutsu. Too much power. It was a wind based attack. Even if Hidan could not die, if he was hit by that jutsu, there was no telling what kind of shape he'd be in after being hit.

When Naruto started running towards him, Kakuzu thought it was because Naruto couldn't hurl the jutsu towards him. But then, the sword's weight increased dramatically, forcing him to fall down the ground on his knees because he wouldn't let go.

He quickly released his threads around his body, forming an octopus-like shape to hinder Naruto from getting close to him. He didn't want to get hit by the jutsu if he could avoid it. The threads rushed towards Naruto in an effort to halt his movements but the blond jumped into the air, avoiding them.

While in mid-air, Naruto hurled the jutsu towards Kakuzu. The jutsu travelled in great speed as it cut the distance between it and the Akatsuki nin.

Kakuzu raised his threads to attempt to block the jutsu but the spinning wind Shuriken simply cut through the threads before pummeling into his body. When it did, it exploded into a violent dome of chakra and thousands of wind blades. It raised violent gusts of wind in the surrounding area.

It lasted for more than a minute and when it died down, Kakuzu's threads were no more – it was just the man lying in a large crater, motionless. Naruto's sliver blade was pinned to the ground just beside the man. The Uzumaki really hoped the man would stay down.

He watched for a couple of seconds, seeing no sign of life from Kakuzu, the settled down in a meditative position. His upper body was in some pain. Kakuzu had really hit him hard; it was something else that he wasn't even bleeding from his mouth. He also needed to catch a deep breath to calm his body and recover spent energy.

Hidan walked up to Kakuzu and kicked the man just to see if he was dead. "Oi, don't tell me that you are dead…" he kicked the man once more but there was still no movement. "Hahahahahahahahahahaha!" Hidan burst out in laughter. It was a mad laugh: a really crazy laughter that would make anyone uncomfortable.

The Akatsuki nin then turned to Naruto: the blond was slowly walking towards him. He licked his lips seeing the blood dripping from Naruto's chest. "Screw the Akatsuki… I'm going to sacrifice you." The Leader's mission no longer mattered. Anyone who could kill the man he couldn't kill deserved to die. He was the one who was supposed to kill Kakuzu, not the blond.

"Well, at least he can die… then again, Yugito said he should have died a couple of times your battle with her…" Naruto said walking towards Hidan. "You're a different matter altogether though. You don't seem to have a number of lives; you just seem to be really immortal. If only Orochimaru knew of your secrets."

Hidan readied himself and then dashed towards Naruto – who was now by the edge of the crater.

A clone puffed into existence via a cloud of smoke right beside the blond. One of the two disappeared from sight as Hidan appeared close. The man swung his scythe ferociously with its blades gearing up to the side of Naruto's chest. The Scythe connected but the blond disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Hidan quickly twisted around and saw Naruto standing by Kakuzu's body, holding his sword. The sword had a glow about it with some engravings on it lighting up slightly. He hadn't noticed that it had engravings on it.

Naruto looked at his blade for a second: it felt light. He had released the gravity seals on it to make it lighter. His movements would be faster and he would be able to strike in lightning speed.

Naruto didn't waste time; he dashed toward Hidan, who also did the same. The blond took out a smoke bomb and then flung it towards Hidan. The man tried to slam the small ball away with his scythe but it went off, creating a smoke screen around him.

"Fuck!" Hidan cursed loudly before bursting out of the smoke screen.

The moment he touched down, he was forced to block a downward swing from Naruto's sword. The man held his scythe above his head with both his hands. Naruto held out his left hand, while pressing down the blade with his right.

Lightning currents burst out and hit Hidan. The man grinned before pushing Naruto away – the blond was forced to jump back to create some distance. "That didn't even hurt!" He said as he attempted to move closer to Naruto. But he only took a single step forward before his body froze.

Naruto's image appeared right in front of Hidan. The Akatsuki nin didn't see anything as Naruto swung his blade twice: It was a horizontal slash and a vertical slash. Both done so fast he only blinked and thought nothing had happened.

Naruto looked at his blade before speaking. "I call that move, 'Uzumaki Blind Twin Slash.' I won't tell you how, but it always requires that an opponent be motionless before it can be executed. During the past years, I developed a couple of fighting styles and during the fight with Deidara and Sasori; I experimented on the first one. And now this. While I can avoid damage with that style, it takes too much chakra and stamina. I don't lack any of that, but I don't have an eternal supply of chakra. So I always have to be careful, or else I will reach my limit while surrounded by enemies."

Hidan wanted to curse at the blond but he became confused when his arms suddenly separated from the rest of his hands. They just dropped to the ground along with his scythe. His upper body from waist up, fell backwards while the rest of the body fell forward. Hidan saw the clear sky before his head hit the ground.

"Dammit!" He then yelled out some unpleasant things, cursing the blond Uzumaki for doing this to him but Naruto simply ignored it.

It was just amazing that even though the man was cut up like that, he could still make so much noise. He didn't look like he was going to die. Naruto stared for a moment before stepping over Hidan's chest. When the man sprouted out more nonsense, he shoved his blade right through his mouth.

"Since you can't die… I'm just going to bury pieces of you in different places around the Elemental Nations. Your talking head will make a wonderful touch in the Emperor's Palace. People could use something to amuse them…" after saying those words, Naruto removed his blade from Hidan's mouth and then cleanly cut through Hidan's neck, separating his head from the rest of his body.

The then picked it up. "I will kill you!"

"In your dreams," Naruto said before taking out a scroll from his left pocket. He opened it, and drew something on it using his chakra. He then sealed Hidan's head. Kakuzu's head was worth a couple of millions. He took the head and sealed it away as well.

The blond then sat down, his blade stabbed to the ground next to him. He sat motionless, recovering his energy for about seven minutes before there was a loud boom.

The Yondaime Raikage crashed landed just away from him. A couple of more shinobi landed around the man.

A surveyed the battlefield for a couple of seconds. He could spot one person alive, one dead and another cut in three pieces with a head missing. It wasn't a sight that made him feel like throwing up. He could admit that it would take someone brutal to cut a man like that.

"Where is Yugito!" The Yondaime Raikage demanded from Naruto.

The blond took his time before responding. He first stood up and then picked up his sword. He noticed that the moment he did so, the men around the Raikage shifted as if ready to attack. "Safe… you sure did take your sweet time." Naruto said in a calm tone. "I have handled those who nearly captured her… and you just have to know that she is safe. I will return her to Kumo… I just need to talk to her."

The Raikage's response was quick. "While I am grateful that you saved Yugito, you are not going anywhere with her, Uzumaki. She is returning to Kumo with me."

"Nothing will change… but you can have my word that you will have Yugito."

"What does a word of a rogue shinobi mean to me?"

Naruto smiled. "How poetic…" He said. "I'm sure if I said I wanted to join Kumo you'd be more than thrilled…" he paused before looking up for a moment. He had to be at Konoha by dawn tomorrow to speak to Jiraiya. "We will talk soon…" Naruto was simply gone without a trace.

"C! Where is he?"

"Gone…" the sensor said after a couple of moments of trying to locate the blond. "He used some kind of high level **Shunshin** jutsu. He didn't seem like he was lying though…" about Yugito of course.

"He is a rogue nin…" A would not have any of it. "I will be sending a message to Konoha when we get back home. Take those bodies…" he instructed firmly.

 **Two days Later**

Naruto appeared at the gates of the Hidden Leaf. It was something else, but he was just going to walk straight into the village even though he was a wanted man. He hadn't done anything wrong, so there were no fears. Worse thing that could happen was them trying to keep him from leaving the village. But there was no crime he'd done.

He had his sword strapped on his back on a black sheath. He wasn't wearing anything to disguise himself. There was no need. Besides, he figured Tsunade would not be quick to send her Anbu to him the moment he steps into the village. It would be like a repeat of last time. She would certainly be interested in seeing what he wanted. And if Jiraiya was here, she would leave the capturing part to him. Or maybe they would try it together.

Naruto walked towards the large gates. The guards stopped him from entering. But there was recognition in their eyes. Oh yes, they knew him. For many reasons, but none stood more than being the Kyubi brat, people of this village knew him well enough.

Does it happen often that a wanted person just walks into the village like this? Was it just arrogance or was he returning back? It was the kind of questions the guards had. If there was a problem in the picture, the Anbu would be showing up.

"What do you want?" the words were cold and harsh.

"Jiraiya…" Naruto offered his response with a smile. "A blessed day gentlemen…" with that said, Naruto went straight into the Hidden Leaf.

The streets were full of activities. People were moving about, minding their own business. It was different from the atmosphere that had greeted him in those cold and miserable days of the old. He could not say nothing has changed. Perhaps the difference was that there was peace. There was nothing that made them afraid. Nothing that made them remember the bad days, the despair they had experienced when the Kyubi went on a rampage and killed their loved ones.

There was no longer Naruto Uzumaki in the streets. They were free. It was truly sad. But what could he do about it? He didn't regret leaving this village. He was happy he was out. He had dreams after all.

A few people recognized him but no one approached him. Naruto didn't mind. He wasn't even in a hurry. He was taking things slow, mindful of the Anbu watching his movements. He didn't mind them either. He just wanted to head straight towards the Ramen stand. Now what would be a disaster would be if the stand was no longer there. He'd certainly let out a chilling cry that would silence the Hidden Leaf.

Icharaku ramen: it was no longer as he remembered it. It was slightly big. People were around. Hadn't he been the regular customer those days? And he brought some customers with him as well. Naruto couldn't help but feel a little giddy as he sat down and rang the bell.

Ayame stepped out from the kitchen. She stopped for a minute staring at his grown self. A wide smile spread through her lips as she rushed over to him. She leaned over the counter and pulled the blond over to a tight hug. It lasted for about a minute.

"Naruto…" Ayame said happily. Her tone was warm, her eyes full of life. She was truly happy to see the blond. "I have missed you." There was a hint of sadness in her tone.

Naruto responded with a smile of his own. There had been an urge to flash a foxy grin, just for control. But he resisted. "The feeling is mutual Ayame…" he said. He checked her out a bit. Maybe he could blame Jiraiya for this. But then again, he ran an underground facility that had men and women doing nasty things to each other. "I must say, the years have been good on you… you look young and beautiful." A bit of a sly smile twisted his lips.

Ayame blinked. Certainly not a comment she expected from Naruto. But in the end, she blushed slightly. "You have matured…" he was certainly a man. Not a teenage boy anymore. His long hair made him look a bit dashing. Ayame quickly shook her head. What was she thinking?

"Years do that on you…" Naruto said mysteriously. "Four bowls… miso and pork… I want them large." The blond said.

Ayame didn't have the time to be surprised. Naruto has always had an unhealthy appetite when it came to ramen. He was grown now. He could tell four at time. What was she saying?! Who did that?

Still, "Coming right up…" Ayame said before disappearing towards the kitchen.

Naruto sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Ayame brought his first two. He didn't waste time before digging in. He was going to devour these four and then order some more he could eat like a noble.

"So… what have you been busy with… you know I hear things…"

She didn't want to say but Naruto knew she was talking about his decision to abandon Konoha. It was something else but Naruto didn't talk to Ayame about it. He was careful with his words but he told her about his travels around the shinobi world… learning things about how other villages operate and customs.

It was a talk that lasted about a couple of minutes. Ayame had watched him talk with her full attention. She had twice been shouted at by a customer for her focus on him.

"With how much chatter you bring in the village, one can never miss the fact that you are here…" Ino said as she sat beside the blond. She looked at the bowls stacked on the counter. "Have you been starving or are you eating for the rest of the week?"

Naruto eyed the blonde Yamanaka with a clean eye. Ino had always been beautiful wasn't it? She certainly had the body and the bust to back up her pretty face. It was a pity that she hadn't liked him then… then again, Sakura hadn't liked him and he had hopelessly chased after her like a man possessed.

Ah, being young and hopelessly in love.

"I've just missed ramen…" Naruto responded. "It's like with sex… if you go through a year without getting it, the day you get it, you are not going to be satisfied with just one around." The blond said those words casually.

Ino was baffled. Not that those words were coming out of Naruto Uzumaki. Not that he would bring sex in a conversation with her but that he would compare sex with ramen.

"How is there a comparison between the two?!" She exclaimed.

Naruto shrugged. "I enjoy both and it's for pleasure." He offered a response filled with nonchalance. "What would you compare ramen with?"

"With other greasy food!" Ino said with a deadpanned expression on her face.

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "That does make sense…" he said.

"Are you stupid?" Ino asked with the same expression as last time.

Naruto faced the blonde with a smile. It was a mischievous smile. "What do you think?" He asked in a light tone, his eyes staring deep into hers.

Ino wasn't afraid of that stare. Not even the fact that she felt it was trying to read her mind. She didn't look away. "You are messing with me…" she said with a sigh. She then smiled. "Well, what do you know; you have a sense of humor… This is a side of you I never saw…"

"You didn't spend too much time around me… I guess I was one of those boys you looked at with disgust…" Naruto responded. He was no longer looking at the Yamanaka but at his ramen. "That brooding bastard Sasuke got all the girls…"

Those were the good old days. He had enjoyed them, even though there had been misery and loneliness.

"He did…" Ino said with a nod. "You were not exactly admirable back then. You were loud, an idiot. But you did change after your training trip."

"Back then?" Naruto glanced at Ino. "Am I desirable now?"

"See, the old you would have never caught that…" Ino said without responding to Naruto's question.

"Well, I've grown. Besides, when you spend three years with a man who proclaims to be a super pervert, certain things change about you…" Naruto paused and kept his eyes on Ino. She looked at him for a moment. But didn't say anything. "This is perhaps the longest conversation I've had with you with just us alone."

There had been nothing likeable about Naruto of the old. He was a loud person and Ino had been lusting over Sasuke back then. She still did think that the Uchiha was better looking and all, but she wasn't chasing after him and holding out her life, waiting for him as Sakura was. "Are you staying or are you going to run away again?"

"I wasn't planning on staying… what's the damage?"

"If you are back in Konoha, we'd have this kind of conversations and more…"

Naruto grinned. "I'll try work out something to see you Ino…"

"I'm sure you will…" Ino smiled. What was she doing? Had she always been this brave? Or was it simply because she was just going with the flow and Naruto wasn't disappointing by saying something stupid. Maybe she was getting carried away. "Hey, why did you try to kill Sakura?"

Naruto raised an eye brow, surprised. He showed that look to Ino. "I didn't try to kill her… does she think that?" Well, it wasn't particularly a bad thing if she thought that. He didn't want to be her friend, or a friend with any of those other people. He could make an exception with Ino because she was a beautiful girl who knew how to hold a conversation.

"She came back unconscious…" Ino said as a matter of fact. But there was no anger in her tone. Which was surprising. Sakura was her dear friend after all.

"I gave her a gift… a curse at the same time. She wants to get Sasuke back to the village and I have no desire to that. Besides that, it would be hypocrisy for me to force Sasuke to come back to Konoha when I have abandoned the village…" Naruto explained lightly. "At her current level, she probably can't fight Sasuke… so I gave her something."

"Lightning chakra?"

"Something like that... it is only temporary. But Sakura has always been good with chakra control, I think she will soon figure out how to use that power…"

Ino was curious. "Why go that far when you don't care about Sasuke or Sakura?"

Naruto smiled. "Regardless of what, there are certain things about me that will never change… I promised Sakura… even though I can't do it directly, I can give her something…" the blond said in a calm tone.

"You are still an idiot…" Ino said with a straight face.

Naruto laughed. "Maybe…" he paused as something flashed through his mind. He took his bowl and stood up. "I found the person I want… This was nice Ino…" he said, leaning over to Ino. He whispered something into her ear before disappearing.

There was no smile on his face when he appeared beside a hot spring. He could see Jiraiya's behind. The man was looking through a hole, peeking. Naruto shook his head. Some people could just not change, could they?

He silently walked closer to the Sannin and slammed his foot on his behind. Jiraiya cried as his body shot through the wooden wall, sending him into the water where alarmed woman were already on their feet.

 **End of chapter.**

 **I'm halfway through chapter 10… so will try to finish it by the end of this week and post it next week.**

 **The omnipresent Sage**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Jiraiya stared at Naruto with a glare: he had bandages over his body because of Naruto. What the blond had done to him wasn't funny. It was actually cold hearted and he resented it. He had been beat up brutally and mercilessly while Naruto watched from a distance. He didn't even try to help him when the women got devilish ideas to squash his balls.

His precious jewels had nearly seen hell. He was glad for his vast experience in the art of escaping. Had it not been for it, he would have been holding a funeral for his jewels.

The Sannin sighed tiredly and took a sip of the sake next to him – he was sitting atop of the Hokage Monument with Naruto sitting next to him. "You didn't have to go that far, you know…"

Nothing felt like it had really changed. He was talking to Naruto as if he was still a shinobi of the Leaf. The blond had enjoyed a good round of ramen in peace. No stopped him from walking into the village.

And here there were. Jiraiya was ready to share a drink with Naruto as if nothing was wrong. But he knew better. Everything was wrong. Naruto was just stopping by. Of course, he would not let the blond leave like that. He might not have been able to do anything at the Emperor's Palace, but he could do something here.

Naruto shrugged. It hadn't been amusing but he hadn't pitied the Sannin. Not even the least. Tsunade would be proud of his choice to expose the Toad Sage like that. Beatings weren't going to make Jiraiya stop. It was just a working hazard – he was used to it by now since he received plenty of them. The man had even developed jutsus for escaping hounds of angry women.

Naruto hadn't wished he was back in the days he was training with the Sannin. He was his own man now. He didn't need Jiraiya. He didn't need Konohagakure. His dreams required him leave home and become something else.

Nobody understood that but Naruto would not beg anyone to understand. Everyone had a thought that he was just lost but he was not. He knew clearly where he was headed.

"You deserved it…" Naruto said with nonchalance. His eyes were looking down at the Hidden Leaf. Perhaps this was a proper farewell to Jiraiya and Tsunade. He hadn't given the woman and the Sannin proper reasons. He'd said his farewell to his former teammates. There was no longer any need to be with them or even say anything to them.

Ino did represent something though. He would think about her at a proper time. But if he played his cards right, he could find himself sneaking into the village to see her. What he has concluded with this life he wanted to live was that he could not be sane without taking time to be joyous. If he stayed cold and emotionless, he was likely to turn evil. He didn't want that. Naruto didn't want to lose focus of his goal.

Jiraiya didn't say anything to Naruto. He eyed the long katana by Naruto's side. It was within its sheath, so he couldn't see its blade. Even so, for Naruto to carry it around, he must be rather good with it. This just means that Naruto has developed into an all-rounder who can fight all kinds of battles. Genjutsu would still become his problem.

"I see you have improved all around… did you learn how to use genjutsu?" Jiraiya asked in a curious tone. He would want to fight the blond just to see how far he has come. If he could take down two members of the Akatsuki, then he was someone who could fight him.

"No…" Naruto said with a smile. "But I have developed an ability that allows me to get out of any genjutsu, regardless of how powerful…" that was false. He didn't have any technique like that. He just depended on the Kyubi to pull him out of illusions. As long as the Bijuu wasn't affected by the illusion, it was able to 'pull' him out of any genjutsu his mind was trapped in.

"Genjutsu remains your weak point then…" Jiraiya said. Naruto wasn't drinking even though he had prepared a saucer for him and a bottle. Naruto was old now. He didn't need to be told when or when not to drink. "Aren't you going to drink?"

"Your sake?" Naruto shook his head. "I'm sorry but I don't trust you. You could have put something in that bottle to knock me out. Your guard is up; you are prepared to stop me at any time I choose to leave."

To those words, Jiraiya didn't offer a response. He just took away the bottle. "Why did you come here in broad daylight Naruto? We still want to catch you and you think you can just come and go whenever you please?"

Naruto looked up and did hand seals. He then held up both his hands. Although he could not see it, Jiraiya could feel overwhelming and potent chakra coming from Naruto's body. After a minute or so, clouds began to gather around the village. Naruto brought his hands down as the clouds covered the entire village. A couple of rain drops fell for a few seconds before stopping.

Jiraiya did not stop it because he didn't sense any malice and he didn't know what Naruto was doing.

"I have wondered what it can take for peace to come upon the Great Five Nations…" Naruto started in a quiet tone. "The other nations which don't focus on military power enjoy peace and choose diplomatic methods to solve their problems. That isn't to say they don't have problems, they have them and they fight, and people are assassinated but you never see them going to war. The shinobi system determines prosperity as having military might. Because of the military might, we want to use it to solve our problems.

"If you have a weapon you have trained to use, you will always use to try to solve your problems. Shinobi know how to fight, so when they have problems, they kill each other. We live in a world that promotes to kill to avoid being killed. How do you bring peace to such a world, Jiraiya? First of all, the Great Five Nations don't even get along. Konoha has problems with both Kumo and Iwa and not long ago, Suna was manipulated into invading Konoha to preserve its future. A couple of years ago, Kiri was locked in a bloody civil war that nearly wiped out the village's blood lines. How do you bring balance and peace to this world, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya frowned at the question. Of everything Naruto said, it came back to just one simple question, how to bring peace to people whose first instinct is to fight to get out of danger? Shinobi were not just people. Being powerful wasn't wrong. But what was the reason for growing your military might? To be the strongest and to win battles against enemies.

A weak village would always be absorbed within the battles of the strong. When they go to war, any village that is close gets involved. Morals were often thrown outside the window after it becomes a fight for survival. It was a cruel world. But how long have they been living in such a system?

Jiraiya still could not find an answer to that question. He did have thoughts but there was nothing that his conscious could allow him to complete.

"I guess you have found the answer."

"Unlike you Jiraiya… I am willing to do anything to get things done. You see, Jiraiya, to be strong isn't wrong. There will be evil people who will need strong foes to battle them. But how we use our strength is what matters. Konoha's actions haven't always been good either. Konoha has truly misused its power in the past. But what has happened to it for the crimes it has committed? Nothing. Nothing at all. Perhaps it will reflect, but there must be consequences to our actions.

"I came here to tell that you don't have to try to get me back to this village Jiraiya. If you want to say I am lost, you can say it. But it will not change my mind. I am hell bent on doing what I feel is necessary for peace. My path might lead me to become an enemy of Konoha… it isn't ideal, but it might happen. I want you to be prepared when that happens."

"Now that you have said something like that, do you really think that I will let you go?" Jiraiya asked in a serious tone. He was ready to fight right here and now. He did have a feeling that not everything Naruto would be doing would be a good thing. He had worried about that. But with Naruto confirming it, he did need to put a stop to it before it actually happens.

"I don't wish to be stopped, Jiraiya…" Naruto said in a stern tone. "For what is worth, you really were like a family to me. I wanted to thank you for everything that you did for me and everything that you gave me. You might not understand my actions, but just know that I did have a good time with you and you did teach me a lot of things." There was emotion in both his voice and eyes when he spoke.

Naruto grabbed his sword, but the second he touched it, Jiraiya had a kunai on his neck. "You are not going anywhere, Naruto! It was your mistake for coming here in the first place."

"Tsunade is in her office, hoping and wishing that things change, but nothing will change." Naruto said, not the least concerned that Jiraiya had a kunai on his neck. "Jiraiya, we will not fight now. But a time will come when I am your enemy… we will fight then…" he was staring at the Sannin when he said those words.

"I see you have really changed, Naruto." Jiraiya's voice was hard, there was no emotion in his voice. "I can't let you go loose around the Elemental Nations…" the Toad Sage grabbed Naruto by his shoulder and they disappeared from the Hokage Monument.

They appeared inside the Godaime Hokage's office. Already, the Hokage tower was swamped by Anbu. It was something else wasn't it? Naruto hadn't thought that Jiraiya and Tsunade would prepare a trap for him. Then again, they were both hell bent on seeing him return to the village and his senses.

Naruto looked at the Godaime with a smile on his lips. "I have already expressed myself to Jiraiya…" the blond said calmly. "Tsunade, you really were like a family to me. I didn't have that growing up, you became one. I will be forever grateful for your love and care. You certainly were the person who I feel loved me more than anyone I have come to contact with.

"But this is all the more that I must discard this village, my attachment to it. I think I owe you at least this much. I know I had said I would become Hokage one day, but things have changed. In another time, or universe, I wish I was still around here, bothering you, but with the purpose to become Hokage."

"You can achieve what you want in this village… if it peace you want, you can use your voice as Hokage to usher the other nations…" Tsunade shouted. There was anger and sadness in her tone. She really did look like she wanted to burst something open.

"The sad part is that, you are right, Tsunade. I can achieve it all in here…" Naruto said. "But my methods will not be liked. I grew to love the position of Hokage so much and in respect of the past Hokages, I cannot associate this village, that seat with my plans."

Tsunade's chakra exploded in anger. But she held herself from attacking Naruto. "I see there is no talking to you." She said with a shake of her head.

"I can say the same thing to you as well, Tsunade…" Naruto said.

The moment he said those words, Jiraiya slammed his right hand to a wall: markings appeared around the walls of the Godaime's office. "I see, you won't allow me to leave this place. I have to defeat everyone here to be able to leave…" Naruto said. "This barrier, are those outside going to feed it with chakra?"

"You don't need to know that…" Jiraiya said preparing to battle. The office was protected by seals. The barrier put around the office would keep damage from occurring elsewhere. It would contain things here.

Naruto shook his head. "We are not going to fight, Jiraiya. I told you: it will happen when we become enemies…" the blond said, taking out his sword from its sheath.

Jiraiya lunged towards him with a kunai at hand. The Sannin slashed across Naruto's face. Naruto met the strike with a swing of his sword. The blade cut through the kunai, causing Jiraiya to leap into the air. The second the Toad Sage removed himself from Naruto, Tsunade replaced his position. A stern mask on her face with her fist glowing menacingly as she charged towards his chest. Naruto held his sword by his handle and the blade in a horizontal position. Tsunade's fist crashed into the side of the blade. The force was brutal and unlike last time, the force sent the blond flying backwards.

He crashed into the wall with his back. There were cracks on it but the barrier held it from shattering. Naruto slid down to the floor and turned his attention towards the Sannins.

"I still maintain my position." He said. "Jiraiya, what do you think those clouds are for?"

That simple question held the Toad Sage from attacking Naruto. "What are you planning Naruto?"

Naruto raised his left finger. "Insurance…" he said. The moment those words left his lips, They could hear howls from the clouds. "Tsunade, Temari should have told you… I don't have a problem in turning lightning straight to this tower. It will kill all the Anbu, but that is something unnecessary, yet something I will do if you don't let me go."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Naruto smiled. "Do you want to test me, Tsunade? I was gone for five years, abandoned this village, do you think I would come here and just let you capture?"

"So you resort to holding us hostage?" Jiraiya demanded with anger in his voice.

Naruto shrugged. "You forced my hand…" he said walking over towards the window. The two Sannins just watched him without making any move. "The thing with all barriers is that they are just a form of chakra. My blade can cut through all forms of ninjutsu, including barriers." Naruto's sword glowed slightly marks appeared on its blade. "Oh, Jiraiya, my other reason for seeing you was to remind you of your debt. I don't want to end up hunting you…" he said with a smile before leaving.

In righteous fury, Tsunade's fist crashed into a wall. The wall shattered within seconds but she was still not satisfied. But she held herself from doing anything. She didn't want to cause panic in the village. The villagers knew that Naruto was present, if she started destroying things, they would panic thinking he was attacking them.

Tsunade then sat down on her chair and took some deep breaths. "Now I know he isn't himself. What is he planning to do, Jiraiya?"

"We will see soon…" Jiraiya said. "I will depart tonight…" the Sannin said. He would go to that place and settle his debt and get some more information. He figured he won't be allowed to get in the place unless he paid his debt.

 **Later that day**

For much of his life, Kakashi has been miserable. Really, he did wonder when it will stop. Even though he told himself that he could change things, nothing ever changed. No matter what happened, he always came back to the memorial stones wishing for the days of the old.

Things wouldn't have come to this point if his sensei had been alive. But it was really not time to be focusing on the 'ifs.' It was simply decision time and he had to decide what he wanted to do with his life and the situation that was upon him. What has happened was something that his sensei would not have wanted. Minato wasn't here nevertheless.

"How did he manage to evade?" Kakashi asked as Jiraiya walked towards him, with a strange look on his face. Between the Toad Sage and the Slug Princess, there was enough raw power to stop Naruto. But he had still managed to leave the village.

"He threatened to destroy the Hokage Tower along with everyone in it…" Jiraiya said in a bitter tone. He should have stopped Naruto from creating the clouds, especially after what Tsunade had told him. He had been foolish and thinking that Naruto would not go any far. He was still seeing Naruto as the 17 year old body he had trained back then.

That would have to stop now. Twice, their conversations have led him to believe that Naruto is going to be doing some dangerous things. The Akatsuki was probably just a nuisance. He couldn't do whatever he wanted with the organization going after him.

"Kakashi, Naruto is no longer the Naruto we knew. He is determined to do what he feels is right. From what he has said so far, it isn't going to be anything good. He told me that we will become enemies in the future…" Jiraiya said in a serious tone. "If Naruto does become something we don't like, will you be able to take him down, Kakashi?"

That wasn't the kind of question that Kakashi was willing to answer. Not now. He would deal with it when the time does come. But if Naruto had gone as far as to cut off his ties with his friends, with the village, then it was without doubt that something was in the making.

His power was also something frightening, but there was no mountain that was too big to climb.

"What about you, Jiraiya-sama?" The silver haired Jonin asked the Sannin.

 **A day later**

 **Sound**

Orochimaru had attacked with shinobi from the Sound. The Sannin had his land which was Oto, but it couldn't be called a village as it was just a bunch of hideouts that the Sannin used for his experiments. The world didn't need a person like Orochimaru did it? But the snake wasn't the biggest fish Naruto had to deal with. Compared to the great nations, Orochimaru wasn't much.

'Are you sure sneaking into the Leaf to see that human is a wise choice?' Kurama asked.

Naruto had no doubt the Bijuu was talking about Ino. 'You didn't complain when I decided to stay put, why are you complaining now? I do need that experience. For mental health, it is necessary.'

'I was merely letting you have your fun… but you do know you can't really trust humans.' Humans were treacherous by nature. If Naruto wasn't careful, that person could lead him to trouble. Kurama didn't want to see himself being a prisoner for Konoha once more. On this path, his release from his hell was guaranteed in the end.

'Not everyone will stab you in the back…' Naruto responded calmly. 'We don't have many people we can call friends. I do wish to form a friendship with the other Jinchurikis, but that isn't something that will be easy. Either way, if things go wrong, they go wrong. It's part of life.'

Just because the world was bad didn't mean that one had to stop walking within it. Taking risks and experiencing all sorts of things was something that one had to endure in life for growth and mental development. He wasn't going to have much of a personal life anyway. Even if he had to take risks to get it, Naruto would not complain.

If he was going to be betrayed, let it be someone he chose.

'Do as you like, but the moment you start losing it, I won't hesitate…'

Naruto smiled: he was amused by those words. The Bijuu had a certain way of dealing with things. For him, it was always the threat of taking over his body to free himself from the seal. It was perhaps just a reminder from the Bijuu that he should not get too comfortable with everything because things could change at any time.

'So you say…' Naruto said. 'Aren't going to admit that we have been getting alone just fine? You are not locked up and our link is perfect.'

Kurama snorted. 'That was just a necessary step for you to be able to control my full power.'

Naruto chuckled lightly. 'Does it wound your pride that you have ma…" the blond trailed off when he heard the sound of electricity crackling. He quickly unsheathed his sword and a second later, Sasuke flashed in front of him, sword coated with electricity: it was cleaving through the air as it headed towards his chest. Naruto reacted defensively by positioning his sword in a position to block Sasuke's swing.

There was a bright spark of electrical currents when Sasuke's sword clashed with his. The resulting clash sent Naruto flying backwards. But the blond was in control of his movements. Sasuke was unrelenting: he charged once more, lunging straight above the blond. He swung his sword in a downward strike.

Naruto held his sword in a horizontal position to block the swing. The swords clashed once more and there was that spark. Naruto crashed into the ground on both his feet, with Sasuke right above him. He responded by pushing Sasuke away.

The Uchiha twisted anti-clockwise while still in midair. His swing was lightning fast. It was invisible to the naked eye and yet, Naruto managed to respond kindly by swinging his sword towards the incoming strike. There was a huge spark of electricity this time around when the swords clashed.

Sasuke leapt into the air once more back. He was still in mid air when he prepared a jutsu. His movements were precise and fast. " **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" Sasuke released an orb of roaring flames from his mouth. It was in such a distance that it could have caught someone who responded slowly. The flames were big enough to consume Naruto's entire body.

Almost simultaneously as Sasuke, Naruto released his own jutsu to counter the Uchiha's flames. " **Futon: Toppa**!" The blond Jinchuriki released powerful gusts of wind from his mouth. The gusts slammed into Sasuke's flames, causing a loud explosion as the two elements battle for supremacy. Naruto knew the jutsus would only cancel each other, so he didn't move from his position.

Sasuke flashed just below the explosion, his sword flashing through air from his right in an upward strike. He was looking up at Naruto – who had his eyes staring straight into his fully matured Sharingan. Naruto's left hand moved fast, heading towards Sasuke's face, but the Uchiha suddenly vanished into thin air.

He flashed behind Naruto in midair, his body twisting to face the blond. " **Raikiri!"** Sasuke slammed the jutsu straight into Naruto's back, but the blond disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke only smirked before landing on the ground. He sheathed his sword and looked up: Naruto was sitting on a tree branch, just above his team. Karin was on her knees, the others appeared not to have noticed the blond.

"I see you have also been training hard, Naruto…" Sasuke said to Naruto: his voice was cold and there was no trace of emotion in his face.

"You have also improved greatly, teme. I just hope you're not the same scared cat who nearly wet his pants in the face of Orochimaru…" Naruto said looking down at the Uchiha. He wasn't smiling either and his tone matched Sasuke's. He glanced down, "this must be your team… so this means you are no longer with Orochimaru… or not…" he eyes caught the sight of Karin. She looked frightened. He smiled. "A sensor, huh?"

Karin didn't want to look up. She still couldn't even stand on her feet because what she felt from the blond Uzumaki was just inhuman. One person could not simply possess that much chakra. It was like she was staring at a tailed beast. Sasuke couldn't compare to the blond in terms of chakra.

"A very good one… she is the one who found you…" Sasuke said. "She is also from your clan…" he only said to see Naruto's reaction. All he got was a raised eye brow.

"Really? I thought everyone was dead by now… the other nations didn't do us any kindness…" Naruto said. He still didn't display any emotion. "I'm happy to see another Uzumaki alive…" one could really debate that because there was nothing that could say he was happy. "Then, was that your greeting or do you want something from me?"

Sasuke stared for a long minute. Their last parting hadn't been that great. Still, he still couldn't deny that Naruto had at one point been like a brother to him. he had thrown away those attachments long ago. "Since you have also abandoned Konoha, you won't be chasing after me. I'm curious though, why did you leave?"

"Bigger dreams… you'll know eventually…" Naruto paused. He stared at the Uchiha for a long minute without saying anything. This was a person who'd done everything to get away from Konoha in order to get power to get his revenge on Itachi. He could not forget that this person had nearly died for him. He could not forget that he had seen this person as a brother once.

Naruto sighed: he was being all sentimental. The Kyubi would certainly be disgusted. The Bijuu had a special hatred for anything that had to do with the Sharingan.

"I have to say, I thought I'd snap your neck when I see you…" Naruto said to Sasuke. "I have no such desire… Besides, I think I would do the same now to anyone who was trying to stop me from reaching my goal…" the blond paused before asking. "Where is Orochimaru?"

"Dead." Sasuke responded coldly. He then took out something and threw it towards Naruto. The blond caught the mask and looked back at Sasuke with a question mark. "During the Sand/Sound invasion, the Sandaime Hokage sealed Orochimaru's hands away… meaning he could not use ninjutsu. To get his hands back, he wanted to use that mask. He says with it, he could get into Shinigami's stomach and fetch his hands. Not only that, but all the past Hokages are sealed within there." Sasuke threw a scroll towards Naruto. "That is how to use the mask. It belongs to the Uzumaki… that's why I kept it."

"You have my thanks…" Naruto said and pocketed everything. Both the Sandaime and his father used the Dead-demon consuming seal. If Naruto wanted to get the Kyubi's other half, he would have to get his father. But the man was dead and trying to get him back would mean learning a jutsu that could bring the dead to life. Naruto didn't want to go through that. But he would keep everything just to be on the safe side.

"Are you looking for Itachi?" It was the only thing that actually drove Sasuke. Naruto was a little surprised that Sasuke didn't explode like a balloon when he mentioned the elder Uchiha's name. That had been his instinct response back then.

Sasuke nodded. "We are following a trail. I think I have become strong enough to get my revenge…" the Uchiha said with confidence. "Where are you going?"

"Kumogakure; I have their Jinchuriki. I want to return her before the Raikage wages war on me…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "We will talk soon, teme. If you get rid of Itachi, it's good for me because it reduces the number of enemies I must face…" the blond stood up and hopped away.

Once he was gone, Karin sighed I relief.

"You didn't wet your pants, did you?" Suigetsu asked Karin with an amused look on his face.

"Shut up!" Karin shouted before smacking Suigetsu right on his face.

Sasuke merely shook his head. This was just like Naruto and Sakura. "Let's move…" he said. They were heading into the Fire Country to look for Itachi.

"So that was Naruto Uzumaki…" Karin said in a thoughtful tone. "He is much more than powerful than what both Orochimaru and Kabuto said…" Sasuke never spoke about the Uzumaki. Not ever, not once. It was just a no go to the Uchiha.

"They were talking about their past experiences with him but it has been years… Naruto has actually become much stronger than I anticipated…" Sasuke felt somewhat excited. Unlike the days of the old, he didn't feel jealous or threatened. It had ultimate confidence in his strength.

 **Konohagakure**

With the commotion that had occurred the day before, Ino was certain that she was being called to see the Hokage because of Naruto. They'd been seen sitting together at the ramen stand but that was before anything happened. Either way, she didn't know anything. Her father had said that they had attempted to trap Naruto in the village but he had made a convincing threat to leave unscathed.

It was something that was to be expected. He wouldn't freely walk into the village without having a plan. He must have known that they would plot something.

Ino stepped into the Hokage's office with her usual cheerfulness. "You wished to see me, Hokage-sama…"

Tsunade nodded. "You spoke with Naruto; did he say anything about where he might be going and what he might be doing?"

Ino didn't need to think about anything because the blond hadn't told her anything. She wouldn't even ask about it. Even if she does see him again, she would not ask. She was curious, but knowing would only get her in trouble with Konoha.

The Yamanaka shook her head. "He was just flirting…" she said with a smile. "It was rather surprising but pleasant."

Tsunade wasn't amused by that. "I see…" she said. "If he does appear to you again, let me know. Naruto is planning to do something dangerous. It is important that he is stopped before he does anything…" the Hokage's voice was stern. She meant business.

Ino nodded, "I understand…" after that, she was excused.

The Yamanaka decided to go look for Sakura. At this time and day, the pinkette was undoubtedly at the hospital. She spent her time there. Then again, Sakura was really a great medic nin. She had learned. Ino couldn't say she had achieved anything like Sakura, but hey, they were not all gifted in the same way, were they?

Ino found Sakura lying in a bed in the hospital. The pinkette didn't even notice her as she sat down beside the bed. Ino shook her head. Since her ordeal with Naruto, she was always like that. "Sakura…" Ino said in a hardened tone just to jolt her friend a bit.

Sakura jolted and looked at Ino. "Oh, Ino… were you saying something?" she asked with a tired smile.

Ino stared at the girl for a long minute before asking. "Sakura, you spent months with Naruto, exchanged many conversations, and I only sat down with him just for a couple of minutes… do you really think that he would try to kill you?" Even if she sat with him for a couple of minutes, and then some more later on during the night, she knew that Naruto wouldn't do something like that.

Sakura was silent for a couple of seconds before offering a response. "I have thought about it… the Naruto I knew was always full of life, kind… I don't think he would, but that is what happened… even if every thought I have of him says he wouldn't, how do you explain what he did?" Sakura sounded confused, and angry.

"Naruto said he can't do anything to bring Sasuke back to Konoha because he'd also left it. I suppose the only time he will consider doing it is if he chooses to come back. Because he can't do it directly, he said he was giving you the power to do it. Instead of looking at the lightning inside your system as a curse, why don't you try to use it to strengthen yourself Sakura? Naruto said you've always been good with chakra control, so he thinks you will find a way to utilize the power without harming yourself."

All things aside, Ino didn't want to see her friend being miserable because her love abandoned the village and her friend tried to kill her. Naruto was strong enough to fight two members of the Akatsuki and managed to evade being captured after stepping into the village not once but twice, if he wanted to kill her, he would have done so.

"I don't know Ino…" Sakura said in a quiet tone. She smiled sadly. "But that does sound like Naruto. He was always kind towards me, always smiling and perhaps made the best efforts in our team, but I always rude to him…"

She had said she was sorry on the night he disappeared and he had given her a smiling face, saying it was fine. But now that things were like this, Sakura didn't know anymore. She would have to think much more deeply about this. Yet, she could not shut down the nagging thought that told her that she knew Naruto better.

 **Amegakure**

Nagato never actually thought that he would see his organization brought to this state. It was unacceptable and to think that it was just one person doing all these was unthinkable. He wasn't happy. He was mad. For years, he has prepared for war, he waited and played the patience game but yet, this last piece of the puzzle was threatening to stand in the way of his peace.

He'd never thought that members of the Akatsuki would simply drop like flies. At this stage, he only had Kisame and Itachi. He wasn't so sure about the latter because of his hidden motives. Either way, the Akatsuki was left severely crippled by this development.

And they didn't even have a single Bijuu in their possession. He wasn't going to have the patience to go on a recruitment job all over again. If all things fail, he would be forced to hunt down the Jinchurikis by himself.

Naruto's strength was something that not even Madara had anticipated. It wasn't anything that made him worried. He was still god after all. And there would be no one to stand in his peace. Not even Naruto Uzumaki.

"What are we going to do about this, Nagato?" Konan asked in a calm voice. Maybe in the hidden rooms, someone would be tossing tables around and kicking chairs in anger at their plans being nearly foiled, but they were calm people.

"What do we have on his location?" Nagato asked. Naruto was a hard person to track down. Really, they'd spent five years looking for him and never got a damn thing until he finally made his appearance known.

As if he was listening in, Zetsu appeared out of nowhere to respond to the question by Nagato. "It will be hard for you to track him down given your condition. He doesn't stay at one place for too long when he is in land. Over the years when looking for him, he was never within the Elemental Nations… he stays deep in the sea where normal people cannot get to him."

Nagato frowned. It would certainly be difficult for him to face this person who was so far away. He couldn't even afford to leave the Hidden Rain for far too long. He wanted to be the one to take Naruto down, but if they could not get Naruto somewhere in land, he couldn't go.

"Konan, can you do it?"

The blue haired kunoichi nodded. "Without a problem," she said.

"We were thinking that perhaps it would be safe for us just to invite him here. If he is trying to destroy the Akatsuki, we can simply tell him where the leader of the organization is. He will come…" Zetsu suggested.

Nagato thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. He really didn't want to see his village turned into a battlefield. If Naruto was as powerful as he was showing himself to be, then fighting him in the village would only happen if the blond chose to come here before he could get to him.

"Konan will go to him first." Nagato said in a tone of finality. "Just give us the location."

"We don't have the precise location." Zetsu said quickly. "But once we have something, or we have find him somewhere, we will try to bring him here…" he was disappearing as he was saying those words.

"They don't care about this village…" Konan said soon after Zetsu left.

Nagato nodded. "But if he comes here, it cannot be helped. We will have to fight him. We just have to make sure the damage is minimized…" the Leader said.

 **Cloud Country**

Yugito wasn't overly happy by the situation she found herself to be in. She has yet to be in Kumogakure and she was locked up somewhere she couldn't tell and trapped in a barrier. There was a clone of Naruto keeping the barrier alive, but the clone would not say anything to her. The only thing it gave her was that it was a clone and food to eat. Aside from that, there was nothing else that she got from the clone.

She was starting to think that perhaps Naruto was planning to kidnap her or use her for something. But the Bijuu inside her had informed her back then that there was no harm intended by Naruto. Still, Yugito could not help but to worry with the days piling up.

The blond stood up when another Naruto walked into the hideout. The barrier was immediately canceled as soon as he entered. And the clone also disappeared in a puff of smoke. Yugito didn't waste time; she lunged towards the blond, who didn't even try to block or dodge her attack – he just watched her. Yugito was forced to halt her movements.

"Why did you do that?"

"You needed to recover and rest. Your Kage was looking for you, so I had to find a proper way to hide you from him and his sensors." Naruto explained lightly. "I do hope there was no harm done though."

"There was harm!" Yugito responded loudly. She was frustrated. Ever since she woke up, she had been restricted from moving. And had made her unnecessarily anxious about what was going to happen to her because even the Bijuu sealed within her hadn't expected events to end up in the way they did.

"You have my apologies…" Naruto said. "On the plus side of things, I managed to save you and defeat the members of the Akatsuki. I just couldn't give you away because I wanted to talk to you… Jinchuriki to Jinchuriki." The blond said before turning away. "We can talk while heading to Kumogakure. I have yet to step into the village… so this will be a good time to see how it is."

Yugito followed her fellow blond in silence. They stepped outside. She could finally see the light and dammit, she felt alive. When had missed this atmosphere. She had been feeling like a prisoner over the past days and it hadn't been pleasant.

"What happened? You said A-sama was looking for me…" Yugito was curious about how that could have played out. The Raikage would not have possibly just allowed Naruto to walk away freely with her. He would have fought. It was just like A to do something like that.

"By the time he came, I was done, just waiting for him. He wasn't amused. I'm sure he will attack me when I step into the village…" Naruto said in a calm tone.

Well, he would certainly have many battles with Kumogakure in the near future. Naruto wanted to be friends with the Jinchurikis but he would not be against 'holding them hostage' to get the Hidden Villages to listen to him. Kumogakure was heavily militarized and had two Jinchurikis who were raised and trained to fight. The village was much like Iwagakure.

"I'm not going to stand in the way if he attacks you…" Yugito said with a shake of her head. She was grateful he saved her but she wasn't going to step in between the blond and A. Besides, the only reason the man would attack Naruto would be to release his anger for Naruto's actions in keeping her away from Kumogakure.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't expect you to do so…" he said carelessly.

Yugito glanced at Naruto for a second before looking at the road ahead. Everything was calm. She was fine. She wasn't on guard. She wasn't thinking he was suddenly going to twist and attack her. He had knocked her out when she insisted on joining him in battle against the Akatsuki, but she didn't think it was going to happen again.

She wasn't even going to question him over the fact that he actually defeated two people she could not defeat. There would be time for that. For now, she just wanted to go back home.

"What do you want to know?" Yugito asked.

"Why is it that you can move around the Elemental Nations but the Raikage's brother remains inside the village? Between the two of you, who is stronger? Isn't it him? Yet, why are you risked while he is protected in Kumo?"

Yugito couldn't honestly respond to that question. She would not. Perhaps to say she 'couldn't' was misleading. It was not a question of possibility; she just didn't want to commit herself to responding to the question. She could happily talk about many things in her life, but that was something she would not talk about. Not when it would lead her to question a lot of things.

She was just raised like this; the Sandaime Raikage had raised her to fight for Kumo and that was she knew to do. For how long has she been fighting for the Cloud? The childhood hadn't been happy because of the brutal training she was forced to do but Yugito wasn't complaining now. It had helped her become stronger.

In Yugito's silence, Naruto spoke once more. "The world is unfair to Jinchurikis, isn't it?" Naruto paused for effect. "I can't say that I was raised as a weapon unlike most of you, but growing up being the Kyubi brat, with parents telling their kids to stay away from me was both lonely and miserable. We go through these experiences mostly because of how people view Bijuus and what village leaders see in Jinchurikis."

Yugito looked up for a moment before responding in a calm tone. "I have come to accept what my life gives me. I have made the most of my situation and I live my life without regrets. Perhaps we have been a little fortunate in Kumogakure."

Naruto smiled upon hearing those words. "I'm glad to know that you think that way. You can never be happy when you live a life of regrets…" he said. "I wish all Jinchurikis had the same attitude."

He wasn't going to discuss it with Yugito but the fact that Jinchuriki were seen as weapons was another reason that the Elemental Nations were not hesitant to start wars. With only Konoha being the exception, the number of Bijuus had determined your strength.

In any case, he wasn't simply going to Kumogakure because he wanted to return to Yugito. He kept her in that place because of his reasons. He was almost done with the Akatsuki, so he could now begin to work earnestly towards his dream. And that meant determining the level of threat each village posed to his dream.

The journey towards Kumo went smoothly after that. The talk wasn't anything serious. Naruto merely enquired about the personal things in her life. Yugito asked about him and responded to the easy questions. The ones he didn't want to answer, he didn't give answers.

When they arrived at the village, Yugito asked something that had been bothering her. "Are you from Konoha? The Kyubi was last seen in the Hidden Leaf… its Jinchuriki had remained something of a secret though."

Naruto nodded. He sensed hidden figures tailing their movements. Then again, he was a rogue shinobi and Yugito was their treasured Jinchuriki. It was something else that the Raikage had yet to even appear before them in lightning speeds.

"I was a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf until five years ago… I left the village…" Naruto responded calmly. "It has nothing to do with being a Jinchuriki or the suffering that comes along after it… I simply left in pursuit of something far greater than staying in the Leaf."

Yugito's brow furrowed, wondering what it could be. "What big things? It's not revenge, is it?"

Naruto was amused. "Not at all – I'm not the kind to hold those kinds of emotions. You'll find about my reasons soon enough…" the blond said a calm tone.

The two walked for a couple of more minutes before they were stopped by two shinobi. Was the Raikage getting impatient that he no longer felt he could continue to just watch them?

"Please come with us…" they said 'please,' but it was anything but that. Those people were not asking for anything from him. They were telling him to come with them. Naruto didn't refuse. He wasn't here for trouble. He was here for a mission that needed him to be civil.

They were taken straight into the office of the Raikage. The office was spacious; the Raikage was sitting behind his desk with three other people present. The Raikage didn't smile upon seeing them. The man kept a narrowed look.

"I have been agonizing for days looking for her…" A said in a stern tone. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't have you thrown into a cell right now."

Nothing short of what Naruto had expected. Certainly, the man didn't care that he had saved Yugito. His actions after he had done the saving were of the focus. The threat didn't frighten Naruto the least. He had done what he did knowing that there would be such a reaction from the Raikage.

"I have no reason to tell you. No explanation. I simply did what I did." Naruto wasn't apologetic about his actions. He could have gone further to say that the man could try to take drag him to his cells, but he would not succeed in doing so. He wasn't above going full Kyubi in this village if that is what it took for him to leave.

The Yondaime Raikage wasn't amused. But he didn't lash out. "You are very different from your father. I knew him, battled him." The man narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Why did you leave Konoha?"

Naruto shrugged. "I had my reasons…" he said. "I said I would bring her back and I have done so. But I want something that I left in the battlefield. There should have been pieces of human flesh that just can't seem to decompose. I want them. I carved them up, so they belong to me."

His words brought tension into the office.

"You are not getting anything… I'm grateful you saved Yugito but those men attacked my kunoichi. I simply can't let you take them… Besides, I have use for what you just said you want. They are still alive, and we are very much interested in seeing how they remain alive."

Naruto shook his head. This was very much like Kumogakure. The village had tried to get its hands on the Byakugan before because of its lust for power. And now they were probably using the rest of Hidan's body for some experiments. It could be some medical research. Who knows?

"Is that so?" Naruto said, staring straight into the Raikage's eyes. "You can at least allow me to take a breather around the village before I leave… Kumo doesn't have a relationship with Konoha, so I doubt you'd have any interest in trying to take me back to the village."

A shrugged. "I'm more interested in getting you to join Kumogakure. It would do well for this village's standing if the son of the Yondaime Hokage joins us…"

There was a bit of surprise flashing through the room at the Raikage's words. Naruto couldn't tell if it was because of the man's proposal or that he was the son of the famous Yellow Flash. Either way, he didn't really care much for it because he had no interest in joining Kumogakure. For A, it was just another Jinchuriki and another powerhouse to strengthen Kumo's grip of power within the great five nations.

"No…" Naruto said in a firm tone. "Yugito, I hope we will talk again…" Naruto said before walking away. He didn't even walk into the office. But he would find his way around.

"If you are not joining Kumo… I can't have you look around the village. You are a rogue shinobi… there is a security risk…" The Yondaime Raikage said in a hardened tone. "If you want compensation for rescuing Yugito, I can give it to you, but I will not give you the chance to spy on my village."

Naruto smiled. But before he responded he asked a question to the Bijuu sealed within him. 'Kyubi, were you able to find the Gyuki?'

'No…'

"A pity…" Naruto muttered. "I don't need a reward. I simply did what I did because the Akatsuki also poses a threat to me. I will be on my way then…"

"My men will escort you."

The Raikage was being overly cautious and considering the situation, it was perhaps warranted. There was no good reason he was even going to look around the village. Sneaking in and getting caught wouldn't be good. It was precisely the reason he chose to do things this way. It was no worry though, he could still send someone.

'Are you just going to leave?' Kyubi asked in a curious tone. 'You went this far and get this kind of treatment. This would have been all for nothing.'

Naruto shook his head. 'Not exactly,' he said. 'At least I know that the Raikage's brother is kept fairly hidden. If we were to appear in this village for an assault, there are small chances of him actually interfering.'

For now, Naruto would rather not fight Jinchurikis. He didn't have a war with them. He had a problem with the Great Five Nations, not the Jinchurikis – they were just victims of the system that has been created by the shinobi villages. But he was certain that a time would come when they would try to fight him.

'How would you do against all other eight Bijuus? There is a chance that if we become too much of a problem, the Elemental Nations will organize a hit group of Jinchurikis to fight us. I want to know if all of them are facing us at once, will we have a chance.'

'Even though you only have half of me, I'm still the Kyubi. The other Bijuus can't hold themselves against me…' the Bijuu paused in thought. 'I do think it might be a difficult situation. Eight Jinchurikis? It will be a fight of endurance. We might win but if there are still more powerful shinobi to fight us, we might have a problem of facing death.'

Naruto frowned. Then this was a problem. He didn't think there was any other way he could gain more power. If he had a bloodline, it would be tremendous. But he had nothing. He needed something to lift up himself. He would have to figure out what he needed to increase his power. If not, he would die without seeing his dream.

It would be a damn shame if it were to end like that. He would have died as nothing more than a criminal and the world would not have changed.

'We have to fight against something like that…' Naruto paused. 'But then again, you did just say 'might' so there is a possibility that we 'might not.' The blond said.

Kurama didn't offer a response.

By now, they were out of Kumogakure. Yugito was standing a distance away from him, two Kumo jonins flanking both her sides. She smiled at him as she spoke. "I'm sorry things ended that way, but I'm truly grateful for everything. I hope to repay you someday."

"The Raikage had every reason to do things in this way… though he could have just let me take a supervised tour… either way, I hold no grudges…" he was still a rogue shinobi after all. And with how he departed Konoha, the Godaime Hokage was certainly going to alert other villages of the danger. He would have to keep an eye on that, but it was no trouble since it was almost done with the Akatsuki.

"I'm glad…" Yugito said, still smiling. "I hope to see you again…" she said turning away from the container of the Kyubi.

Naruto waved his right hand before slowly walking away. Kumogakure was facing his back. What could he do now? Where could he go? The Akatsuki was his main focus now. Well, he could travel slowly back to the Emperor's palace and then go to Sunagakure. He did tell Temari that he would see her again to test his wind against hers.

Naruto nodded: that was a plan.

 **Unknown Location**

It was accurate to say that Obito had grown tired of this world. And now that Naruto was messing up with his plans, he was getting even impatient. He was supposed to be living in his dream by now, literally. But just one person was standing in the way.

There was something the blond was planning. He just had to find out more about it. If it was something that would end up seeing the Jinchurikis gathered at one place, it would mean that capturing all the Bijuus would be made simple. But it would only happen if he has the Rinnegan is his possession. Nagato was basically useless at this stage. So, he could take it any time. But first, he needed to understand what Naruto was planning.

It would not even be bad for him if Naruto fights Nagato and loses. Obito shook his head. Naruto was still just a Jinchuriki; he could not possibly defeat Nagato. No one has been able to do that. The Rinnegan was too powerful. As long as Nagato's secrets remain a secret, losing was unlikely. Either way, Obito would still have his way.

"What do you have for me, Zetsu?" the masked Uchiha asked as soon as Zetsu appeared.

"Nagato wants to fight Naruto…" Zetsu said. "But what will interest you is that Itachi seems resigned to meeting his day with Sasuke. Should we observe?"

Obito nodded. Sasuke was a good piece to the puzzle. He could be manipulated, especially with that he knew about the Uchiha Massacre. "I want to observe everything myself… where is he?"

"Within the Fire Country… I don't have his precise location but we have been tailing Sasuke…"

Obito nodded. "Naruto Uzumaki…" he started. "Find him; I want to have word with him."

 **End of chapter**

 **Thanks: everyone who reviewed on the last chapter. I think I responded to most of you.**

 **Spoiler alert: people will die in this story – starting from the next chapter.**

 **I should keep up with weekly updates for this story.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

'Who should we visit after making our stop to Suna?' Naruto asked the Kyubi: he was hopping through trees in high speed within the fire country.

He'd yet to decide on which nation to visit to begin with his dream. There was no trouble in laying the foundations now with the Akatsuki almost finished. He still had something to do but he could begin with his dream. It wouldn't be good if he got sidetracked into doing other things anyway.

'It's not my plan…' the Kyubi said with indifference. 'You don't want to do anything, so I won't bother with it. It is almost as if you are afraid of going through your plans.'

Naruto was amused. Him, afraid? Hell no. He'd beat himself too much to be afraid of something like this. He had cut off ties with Konoha and spent five years in the middle of the sea training. It wasn't for nothing. It wasn't just so that he could run loose in this Elemental Nations without doing anything of particular to begin with his preparations.

He would not die before he began with his dream. Maybe he was talking and thinking too much about it without any real action but he would get around the issue. He would begin with his dream. Had it not been for the fact that he really wanted to go to Sunagakure to see Gaara's standing, he would be turning to the direction of Iwagakure now.

The Raikage was going to be difficult. The man believed in power. Being weak appeared to be a crime to that man. It wasn't to say he was a bad person. He was willing to do anything for his village. For the future of the village he led. But it was still not good enough. This attitude was the same attitude that has led the Elemental Nations to start pointless wars and try to balance power by distributing Bijuus as if they were their toys.

It was something that had to stop.

"After Sunagakure, we will visit Iwagakure. I've heard that the Sandaime Tsuchikage is a rather stubborn old man…' Naruto responded in a calm voice. It would make things difficult but it still had to be done. Force would be used to get these people to listen.

'My power will be ready when you need it.' Kurama said. Perhaps it was fitting that his power be associated with 'evil' as humans have continuously called him. What was he again? Ah, yes, a demon. It was laughable at times, but should things go the way he expected, this container of his would be the very incarnation of evil.

Kurama had never asked Naruto but he was curious as to why someone like Naruto who was shunned by Konoha for being a Jinchuriki would be willing to become 'evil' just for the sake of this world. He could live his life happily; go to any village he wanted. If he went to Sunagakure, he wouldn't have to worry about being used for his power. He didn't have to worry about being hated. The Kazekage was a Jinchuriki and someone who seemed trustworthy.

Of course, Kurama could never trust a human. But the brat just seemed like a pleasant person. His host was something else. The blond always treated him like a partner. Perhaps it was what needed for him to fully master his power, even so things were different. The blond could use his power but yet he never depended on it.

'It will be definitely needed. I will have to unleash our combined power just to make these people see that I am serious.' Naruto felt a little excited about it. It wasn't going to be anything that would result in deaths – it would be a simple demonstration of his power. If he didn't do that, they would think that he was no problem, just a Jinchuriki gone mad.

Naruto stopped his movements after sensing someone tailing him. He stopped and waited for about four minutes before the person landed on a tree branch behind him. The blond turned around: he didn't smile when he saw Itachi… no, a clone of the Uchiha.

The Uchiha did have an interesting conversation with him the last time around. Naruto hadn't given it much thought after the meeting but seeing the Uchiha once more, it made him think about it. There had been deeper meaning behind Itachi's words. It was curious but not enough for him to stop his thought process and think about it.

Naruto sat down on a tree branch and swung his legs slowly before speaking. "How long have you been tailing me?" It wasn't a coincident that the Uchiha was before him. He was looking for him. For a reason Naruto could not fathom. For a fact, he knew it had nothing to do with the Akatsuki's mission.

"I wasn't tailing you: I had multiple contacts looking for you…" Itachi responded in a tone that had no emotion in it.

"I'm guessing that Sasuke has yet to find you…" Naruto said in a curious tone. "Who will win when brothers do battle, Itachi?"

The Uchiha didn't respond to the question. He didn't have to answer it. Naruto probably had no real interest in asking. Unless if he still cared for Sasuke. But the fact that the blond mentioned his younger brother's name just meant that he did see him not long ago.

"What is your relationship with Sasuke?"

"I don't have a relationship with him. He was a friend but those connections were cut off long ago." Naruto's voice was cold, his eyes were just emotionless. "Why do you ask these kind of questions, Itachi? You don't look as evil as people make you out to be. I don't have sense any malice from you. Even in the last time we met, there were no evil intensions towards me."

"Naruto is ever as it seems in this world of shinobi…" Itachi said in a mysterious tone. "I can't figure out what you are really after. That has me curious. You were not a bad person... but this power you have accumulated over the past years... it is for a reason..." Itachi spoke in a hardened tone. His eyes never left the blond, not even for a second.

Naruto appeared amused more than anything. Itachi appeared to be a totally different person from his younger brother. There was a reason the Uchiha was asking him questions. Maybe he wanted to know what he was planning to stop him. But this was just a clone and he was going to battle Sasuke. If he was going to stop him, he would have to defeat Sasuke.

He could not figure out Itachi's motive. There was something the Uchiha was after but he could not put a finger on it. But it was almost certain that Itachi had no desire to stop him in his path for destroying the Akatsuki.

The last time the Uchiha had been more concerned about what he was after. But that was still the question even now. Back then, Konoha had been referenced a lot. He could not make the connection.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "You don't think I gained this power to defeat the Akatsuki? Getting out of Konoha would be for its own safety. There would be no telling what the Akatsuki would be willing to do to get the Kyubi."

"Why do you always give out possible reasons for your actions?" Itachi asked. "It sounds believable. Even the reasons you gave before sounded reasonable but they are not truly the reasons for your actions."

"You Uchihas have always been blessed... The Bijuu sealed within me goes to the point of hating you people..." Naruto responded calmly. "Regardless, if you tell me your reasons for the Uchiha massacre, I will tell you the reasons for my actions."

Itachi was displeased but he did not say anything. Not for a moment, was he willing to say anything to Naruto. He would not say anything. This was his secret for now.

"My reasons for my past actions are a past. They have nothing to do with why I am here..." Itachi said firmly. "You not willing to tell me anything but since you are targeting the Akatsuki, I will give you a warning."

He could do that. If Sasuke was looking for him, then his time was upon him. He didn't even have long anyway. But at least he would wish for the Akatsuki to go. He would not have a problem with it. If things go awry, it would end up with Naruto facing off against Sasuke.

He just hoped that person didn't taint Sasuke. If his brother allowed himself to be manipulated, there would be a problem. But Itachi had plans for that person.

"I'm listening..." Naruto said.

"There are two leaders in the Akatsuki and both have powerful visual prowess. Both are powerful, but one of them is being used. For you, the big problem isn't just the members you know, but the leaders. Pain, he will find you to deal with you. The communication we received from him was that he would deal with you personally or his partner. Should you find yourself fighting Pain, be on the watch out for a masked man with a Sharingan.

"I believe he will try to manipulate Sasuke into becoming a member of the Akatsuki. Should Sasuke meet that man, there is a possibility that he will try to attack Konoha. Should that happen, will you stop him?"

Naruto looked up for a moment. Life was something else wasn't it? The man who took out Konoha's powerful clan was asking him if he could stop Sasuke from attacking Konoha. Naruto had a feeling it had nothing to do with Sasuke ruining his image to become a criminal. There was something hidden in those words.

"If Sasuke joins the Akatsuki with the purpose of going after Bijuus, I will deal with him in the same way as I have dealt with other members of the Akatsuki." If Sasuke even tried to get in his way, Naruto would not be against killing him. He wasn't sure what he would do if Sasuke tried to attack Konoha. Maybe he would simply watch. Maybe he would stop the Uchiha. But it would depend on how that action would affect his plans.

"If Sasuke tries to attack Konoha, will you stop him?" Itachi asked once more.

Naruto stared for a couple of seconds. Well, the thing of shinobi doing evil to spread the hatred was something was trying to fight against. "Yes… but the interesting question would be why Sasuke would go that far. I don't see any reason he would think of attacking Konoha."

"There is a reason…" Itachi said. "But if you deal with the Akatsuki, there shouldn't be a problem. Of course, there is still the question of what you are really after…"

"My desire is simple. It is genuine and noble…" Naruto said with a smile. He did not explain. He just spoke about something else. "Your Intel leaves me with a puzzle than more answers. Your disclosure regarding the hierarchy of the Akatsuki makes me think there are two different doujutsus in the play. Not counting the Byakugan and aside from the Sharingan, what other Doujutsu is there that is equally as powerful as the Sharingan?" Naruto asked in a curious tone.

He still did think that those born with bloodlines gain an advantage against other shinobi in terms of growth potential. He didn't see much with Kakashi but he has come to understand that the Sharingan has more powers than he has seen.

"The Rinnegan…" Itachi said. "It might be even more powerful than the Sharingan. The man you are no doubt going to face possesses the doujutsu."

"Rinnegan?" Naruto adopted a thoughtful look on his face, going through his memories. "That is something of a legend. Jiraiya would be all over that information. He said the first man who possessed the doujutsu was… ah, yes the Sage of Six Paths. What of the other man?"

"Sharingan… I don't know much about their abilities. But you must be wary of him. He might try to manipulate Sasuke." Itachi paused. "But I am curious if you really can fight them head on. They are nothing like the opponents you have faced so far."

"Nothing like you…" Naruto added. He leapt onto the ground gently. There was no sound. Nothing. As he landed. "Disappear, Itachi." The blond spoke in a very powerful tone.

Itachi didn't need the Sharingan to see Naruto's chakra. It was just a powerful brute force that was overwhelming. He immediately burst into a murder of crows and scattered around.

Naruto closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. This was a little trick he learned from the Kyubi. It was useful and powerful. It could be used for both defensive and offensive purposes.

A powerful shockwave blasted into the trees with a violent force that tore through the ground. The shockwave was so powerful that it uprooted the trees that surrounded Naruto. There was nothing that stood after the force ripped through. Everything was pushed away from Naruto. It was just debris, and dust clouding the atmosphere.

When the crows began to gather in the clear field, there was no sign of Naruto. He was gone.

Emperor's Palace

"Naruto…" a man called the blond who was sitting on a bar counter, reading a log of Intel supplied to him.

Naruto looked behind him from the bar: a man was looking at him with a smile on his lips, glasses over his eye balls. This was Yamato: the man who deals with his Intelligence within the facility.

"Jiraiya was here: he settled debt and said he was going to Amegakure to follow a lead regarding the leader of the Akatsuki."

That would probably mean the sage has gone onto investigate the same lead he has. Well, Itachi had confirmed something about the Akatsuki but it was now a question of which leader was in the Hidden Rain. He also wondered if both leaders had the same plan. Itachi had made it sound as if there were to plans in mission. You could never know without investigating.

Naruto wasn't going to bother send anyone to Ame when he knows the person won't return. It was like that with the Hidden Rain.

"It's good that he settled his debt…" Naruto said with a nod. "I am more concerned about Kumo and Iwa's security risk. Can you send someone over to Kumogakure? It would be helpful if you can find more regarding the Raikage's brother whereabouts. I will see Iwa when I return from the Sand."

"What of Kirigakure?"

Naruto was silent for a couple of seconds. "I will go there myself to see the situation."

 **River Country**

Naruto's movements came to an abrupt halt when a black vortex appeared in front of him: a certain masked Uchiha formed before his very eyes, causing Naruto to be on guard – this was most likely the Uchiha, Itachi had warned him against.

He felt powerful, and unhealthy: that cold dark menacing visible Sharingan gave off a creeping feeling.

The Bijuu inside of him seemed to be at unease at the sense of his chakra. Because of their perfect link, the Bijuu could easily sense the chakra signatures before him. It wasn't to say the Bijuu was afraid. The Kyubi feared no one. Not a human no less. If anything, there was pure unadulterated contempt.

Naruto knew the Kyubi loathed the Sharingan and the Uchiha in general. But there was only one person who made the Bijuu's fur stand and that was Madara. This man was not that. At least as far as he was concerned.

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Obito said to the blond Uzumaki. His eyes watched him carefully as he jumped to the ground and stared up. "You have become a thorn in the eyes of the Akatsuki."

"Well thank you…" Naruto responded with a smile. "It is my intension…"

Obito wasn't amused: he stared for a couple of moments before speaking. "What are you really after? You are no longer with Konoha, so there has to be a reason. It is certainly not because you felt you did not wish to involve the Leaf in the battle against the Akatsuki."

For some reason, Naruto didn't feel like taking out his sword to fight against this person. First of all, he didn't know anything about the power of this person: he could not just recklessly charge in without knowing something of use.

"You're speculating things…" Naruto said with a wave of his right hand. "I do what I want because it is convenient. There is no grand scheme. It is simply a fight for survival. Konoha has not been good for me: I saw no reason to remain loyal to a village that could turn its back on me within the blink of an eye."

Obito's eye narrowed slightly. "There is nothing convenient about your actions. You have been acting according to a plan…" he said walking over the blond. His body just phased through Naruto, greatly surprising him. "Well, no matter: just save the Jinchuriki and gather them for me."

Naruto blinked after the man disappeared. "Did he just become intangible?"

"What do you think?"

Naruto shook his head. "How do you fight against something like that? How do you fight against an ability that makes a man intangible?"

Three Days Later

River Country

Naruto halted, and put on an expressionless mask on his face. He was looking at his former partner in the summoning world. The son of the Toad Chief.

"Gamakichi…" Naruto greeted the large Toad that was now as big as the Toad Chief. He could never forget the Toad he met when it was just little. He had basically watched the Toad grow.

Still, how long has it been since he last made contact with the Toads? Since he cut off his ties with them, he had thought that the only way he would have any contact was when he was in battle with Jiraiya. He didn't expect to see a Toad like this.

There was even an unpleasant air about the Toad before him and it made him feel slightly unsettled. But he did not show it.

"You have truly changed and grown Gamakichi…" Naruto said calmly. He didn't make any movement: he stood still watching the Toad.

"You just look mature… but I have to say, I have missed you." Gamakichi said in a rough voice.

"If I said didn't, I would be lying." Naruto still did not smile. "You were able to track me down… is it possible that if the Toads really wanted to find me in my years of absence, they could have done so?"

The Toad did not respond to the question. It went straight to business. "Fukasaku-sama wants to speak with you, Naruto…"

Naruto stared for a long minute before shaking his head. "No…" He said firmly. "I have nothing to say to him. I cut off my ties with the Toads long ago. Please go back, Gamakichi."

The Toad stared but did not move. He had been instructed to get the blond no matter what. He didn't want to do this, but he decided to just say it.

"Jiraiya is dead: he was killed in a battle against the leader of the Akatsuki in Amegakure…"

Naruto's mask turned cold. The life in his eyes disappeared. He knew Jiraiya had gone to Amegakure. He had known but hadn't done anything. Even so, he hadn't thought that the Sannin would actually die. Not after their last conversation.

No, everyone could die, but not Jiraiya. Not that perverted Sannin. The man had ways to survive. He always survived. The sannin was a survivor. He had survived his mad rampage several years ago and that had the Kyubi involved.

Naruto considered that the Toad before him pulling a fast one. But the chances of that happening were zero: Gamakichi would never joke about Jiraiya's death.

The blond jumped over to Gamakichi's head without saying a word. The Toad reverse summoned itself to the land of the Toads.

The familiar scent of nature that brought peace to both the mind and the heart. Naruto had spent time on this beautiful world of the Toads that wasn't ravaged by the injustice and hatred of the Elemental Nations: he enjoyed the time spent here.

Naruto was standing just outside of Fukasuku's house. The elder Toad appeared pale, but maintained a stern gaze.

"Fukasaku-sama…" Naruto greeted the Sage with an expressionless mask. He then sat down: legs folded and leaned forward a bit to enable himself to rest his head on the palm of his right hand – his mask remained intact.

"Naruto-chan… we did not part in the best of terms, but Jiraiya gave me a message regarding his battle with the Akatsuki. This information might become important enough to save your life…" the Toad said.

"Jiraiya wishes to save my life even though he has an idea of what I desire…"

"Jiraiya cared for you even in his death…" Fukasaku said in a firm tone. He went on to give Naruto details regarding the battle with the Akatsuki. He made sure to mention about the Rinnegan's abilities.

Once Fukasaku was done explaining things, Naruto didn't say anything: he stared into the space between him and the Sage. "I guess I should make a visit to the Hidden Rain. But I need to calm my mind first…"

"You can take him away…" Fukasaku said to Gamakichi.

The Toad did as told.

Naruto had nothing to say Gamakichi. He simply drifted away into the back of his head and walked without purpose.

It was certain now that he would have to cancel his trip to Sunagakure and head to Amegakure. It wasn't in the plans but he had to go. It was important that he goes there. Not just because the Akatsuki leader had killed Jiraiya but because the Akatsuki leader was in the village.

Nothing ever went to plan. Not in this world of shinobi.

'Naruto…' Kurama called the blond. 'You need to cool down before you even head to Amegakure. I know taking out the leader of the Akatsuki would be important to your dream…'

Naruto stopped the Bijuu before it could finish. 'Don't go there. I understand things. But I do need to cool down my head a bit before I rush in. However, I still cannot make the trip to Suna.'

 **Five Days Later**

 **Hidden Rain**

The Hidden Rain was a truly different nation to all other nations Naruto has seen. He has done a fair number of travels in different countries, trying to understand how things are done but he had never seen a country like Amegakure. The land was surrounded bottomless water that looked like a sea.

No wonder it was difficult for spies to enter the village. But even if they entered, they never returned. It seemed like a law. Or they just became lost within the waters of this crying village.

Jiraiya had sneaked into the village. And he had been like all those other spies who go in here but never returned. The sannin was powerful, yet he fell into the same fate. It was truly a sad reality of things.

But this just meant that Itachi had been right: the man with the Rinnegan was powerful. The Rinnegan was a powerful doujutsu as it was even rare. Who else had it? Wasn't its last wielder the mythical Sage of Six Paths.

Naruto stopped midway through the empty streets of the Hidden Rain. He wasn't hiding his appearance. He was here for a war with the man who killed his sensei and finally rid himself of the Akatsuki or at least its visible leader.

It was raining, but he didn't care that it was raining on him. he even faced the clouds, allowing the rain drops to slap him on his face.

'Are you sure you are in a position to fight Naruto? I will not allow you to humiliate me because that perverted hermit got killed.'

Kurama could sense that Naruto was sad. He knew that the toad sage had meant a lot to Naruto. The blonde had yet to harden his heart to the pain, so he was pained by the death of the man. Then again, this is what could be needed to push him to work harder in pursuing his dream. He still worried that if Naruto allowed his emotions to get the best of him, things would become problematic. Especially if they were going to be fighting against the Rinnegan.

He knew all there was too know about the Doujutsu. He didn't say anything to Naruto or anything about the Sage of Six Paths. He would not say anything about the old man. Regarding the Rinnegan, he would only talk if it was convenient.

'Maybe it is emotion that fueled me to come here, but it would be stupid of me to come here without any confidence and purely because Jiraiya was killed.' Naruto responded in a calm tone.

Kill the leader, you kill the Akatsuki. He would only have to worry about the masked Sharingan if he manages to deal with this situation. There were plans for a strategic retreat if he is unable to win. It was possible, there were ridiculously powerful people in this world and he didn't know all of them.

'Why does it even sound as if you are only worried about your pride?'

Naruto appeared before the Kyubi. It was no longer in a cage. The scenery was still the same, but the bars had long been released. It had been necessary for him to use the Bijuu's full power. The link between them had to be perfect for full utilization of the power. And he had used this space for have some rounds with the Kyubi.

Kurama looked down at Naruto's form. 'If you are defeated, I'm the first Bijuu to be captured.'

Naruto smiled. It a small smile. He would have normally laughed at that response. 'I'm sure the other Bijuus will laugh at you.' He said. 'But capture means the death of me. Jiraiya is dead; I have more reasons to win this or at least continue to survive.'

Naruto quickly pulled away when he sensed something: his eyes were staring at missile. It was heading straight towards him. He quickly pulled out his sword and charged toward the missile. He swung his sword straight towards the missile as it neared him. The blade cut through the missile cleanly, splitting it into two halves.

Both halves blasted past him, and then crashed into explosions that came with booms. The moment the explosions went off, Tendo and the Gakido Path crashed landed right in front of Naruto, causing the blond to quickly jump backwards to create some distance.

The rain had stopped raining.

And the battle was beginning.

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Tendo said, staring at the blonde expressionlessly. "You have saved us the trouble of looking for you by coming here…"

Naruto could tell that this wasn't the normal shinobi one battled. He hasn't even had a fight were he was pushed. The blond lightened the weight on his sword and gripped it firmly.

"With the trouble I have caused you, I expected you'd be looking for me…" Naruto responded. He kept calm and his face didn't reveal a single emotion.

"Yes… you have caused us trouble. But once we have dealt with you, we will take a step closer to peace…"

Peace? That was an interesting word he didn't expect to hear from the leader of the Akatsuki. If it wasn't because the man was also hunting down Jinchurikis, Naruto would have paused to hear what the man thought of peace.

The blond sheathed his blade: the moment is right hand retreated from his back, the two lunged towards him. The Gakido was in front with Tendo following behind.

Naruto didn't just stand still and allowed them to reach him: he leapt into the air whilst doing hand seals.

" **Futon: Hanachiri Mai**!"

Naruto summoned a cyclone of petals. The jutsu tore through the air, twisting the air around it as it headed straight Gakido. The path halted and held out both its hands with Tendo remaining behind it.

The wind jutsu slammed into a barrier. The force behind the jutsu forced the path to slide backwards slightly but its barrier still held firmly as it absorbed the jutsu.

Tendo suddenly burst into the air like a bullet, coming from behind the Gakido. The path headed straight towards Naruto who was still in mid-air.

When the path neared him – Naruto took out his sword. He'd already cancelled his jutsu after seeing it being absorbed. He didn't wait for Tendo to initiate an attack: as if he had been waiting, he swung his sword with both his hands in a horizontal strike. He was intent on cutting the opponent in half.

In more than two angles, Nagato the swing and Tendo avoided the incoming swing by propelling itself into the air, above the swing.

The moment the path avoided the swing, Naruto cursed: another missile came from a position he could not see. It was aimed at his chest and he couldn't swing his fast enough cut it. He could only hold onto his sword in a vertical position for defense as the missile reached him. Within seconds, it collided with his blade.

Boom!

The missile exploded: it blasted Naruto down to the ground like a bullet. A second after crashing, there was another boom when Gakido landed above him. The path had attempted to stab him through his chest with a kunai: Naruto blocked the kunai by his sword, having held it in the same position it had been when a missile hit it.

The kunai cracked: the second it so, Naruto exhaled a blast of wind mixed with fire straight into the face of the path. The jutsu exploded when it hit the path's face but it quickly leaped away from Naruto.

Naruto had enough room to stand up and he did so. He had a couple of bruises, but nothing damaging.

This environment wasn't suitable for his kind of destruction jutsus he had mastered for destroying things. It was already a problem that he was on the defensive in this fight. But he had yet to break a sweat. So, all was still well.

'Hmm?'

Naruto's thoughts were disturbed when he sensed movement from behind: another path appeared – Ningedo. The path landed behind Naruto silently: its back was facing the blond; it was also in a crouched position with both its hands touching the hard ground.

It suddenly twisted around with its right foot sweeping through the ground, heading towards Naruto. The blond avoided getting swept off the ground by doing a quick jump into the air. The moment he did so, he flipped his sword to his left hand when he sensed movements.

The Gakido flashed in front of him; its left foot cutting through the air in speed, heading just above his right shoulder. Naruto raised his right hand, and channeled wind chakra through it to strengthen his grip. When the kick neared, he caught it and quickly twisted around before hurling the path into a building. The path blasted off like a bullet.

The moment Naruto released the path; a brutal kick on his face from Tendo sent him flying into the wall of an opposite Building.

Naruto flipped several times before his feet touched the wall. He stuck to the wall using chakra and bent his knees slightly.

Tendo was charging towards once him once more; the blond blasted off from the wall, the grip on his swing hardened. He swung his sword from his left on a horizontal strike.

" **Shinra Tensei**!" An invisible force hit Naruto, sending him back to the wall he'd just left.

The blond managed to hit the wall with just his feet once more and then landed on the ground.

Seeing Ningedo and Gakido darting towards him, Naruto handled his blade through his right hand. He held the sword in a reverse grip and took a stance and then closed his eyes.

" **Wind Cutter**."

The paths only jumped back instinctively after nearing Naruto and managed to dodge the lightning fast strike from Naruto.

When they landed on the ground, the vision started to change as if the world was moving upside down. The paths' upper bodies separated from the rest of the body from the waist downwards.

"We dodged that…" Gakido said as its half hit the ground.

"It looked like you did but you didn't…" Naruto said. He would not explain his jutsu to people he was still fighting. He sheathed his sword once more, ready for another round with the remaining two.

" **Bansho Ten'in…"**

Naruto tried to hold back when he found himself being pulled towards the Deva Path by an invisible force. The path had its right hand held out. The force was unshakeable and Naruto found himself being caught by his throat by the path. The grip was firm like an iron grip.

Naruto didn't struggle much when the path's left hand flashed towards his left shoulder with a black rod. The rod stabbed him on this left shoulder. The second it did, Naruto's knee slammed into the path's gut. Without even doing hand seals, he breathed out flames from his mouth. The flames hit the path head on, causing it to let him go jumping backwards. The flames then dispersed quickly.

Naruto took out the rod on his shoulder without so much as flinching. He didn't mind the blood.

"You move rather well…" Tendo said calmly. "You have cut down two of us and although you have taken some hits, you don't seem to have dented your chakra reserves. What was the reason for gaining this power that you have?"

It wouldn't hurt to catch a breather. "Because I have a dream…"

"A dream? Our sensei desired peace, what could your dream be?"

"Peace…" Naruto said before pausing to ask. "Sensei?" Naruto was surprised. Fukasaku hadn't said anything about the leader of the Akatsuki being a former student of Jiraiya. It was almost laughable. Jiraiya's students were after peace and one of them had killed him for this peace. It must have been a bitter experience to know that his students have turned into something like this.

Naruto truly pitied the Sannin.

"Jiraiya was once my sensei. Our master desired peace… he disagreed with my methods and attempted to stop me. But there is no other way to bring peace to this world of hatred. If you really desire peace, you should let yourself be captured."

If that was a joke, it wasn't funny. Naruto wasn't going to let himself be captured. Not for someone's peace. "I want peace. But it could be that I have a different way of bringing peace to this world. Yes, my methods differ from yours, hence we fight. I think I'm right, you think you are right. Because we differ and although the goal is one, we see each others as enemies.

"Ultimately, this is how things work in this world. When we cannot agree on something, we fight to sort out those differences and the winner is the right one. This is what brings about the wars and the pain and hatred that follows after the war." Naruto paused and gave Tendo a stare. "My fight with you is because you are in the way of my peace."

Nagato was honestly surprised to hear Naruto make sense in his words. He seemed to understand some things about this world. It had even been a surprise to learn that Naruto was even trying to bring peace.

"As Jiraiya's students, you and I should be able to understand each other… we both desire peace…"

"There is nothing to discuss if you are still going to try to extract the Bijuu inside of me…"

"That is unfortunate…" Tendo said. The Asura path crash landed beside Tendo and without wasting time, the path released a missile.

Seeing the missile, Naruto fled. He wasn't looking forward taking another hit from the missile.

As he sped through the ground, the missile followed him. Naruto didn't smile seeing the missile charge behind him. At least the two were not following him.

The blond turned into a corner at the end of another building, but the missile still followed him. Naruto cursed loudly when realized he turned blindly: it was an alley. He still rushed forward. When he was closer to the end, he leapt into the air and twisted around.

Once more, he channeled chakra through his hands and watched the missile carefully. When it was about to hit his gut, he sidestepped it in the blink of an eye before catching it with both his hands with a gentle touch. He spun around quickly buy while still holding onto the missile, Ningendo flashed in front of him like a silent killer. Its foot slammed into his face, causing him to lose concentration. The missile went off and he was blasted backwards to the wall behind him. Naruto hit the building with his back.

The moment he crashed into the wall, both Gakido and Tendo flashed in front of him. The Gakido slammed an unforgiving punch on his gut that had Naruto spitting out a mouthful of blood while Tendo pierced through his left shoulder with a chakra rod, pinning him to the steel wall.

The two paths suddenly disappeared away from Naruto. Naruto had a clear view of a mechanical punch heading towards him. The punch seemingly hit him on the chest and exploded.

Boom!

The were metal plates from the building that fell to the ground. But when the explosion cleared, there was no sign of Naruto. It was just a hole in the building.

Naruto was sitting quietly on the other side of the building. Catching his breath. 'These guys attack all at once and brutally so. This will end up being our greatest fight, Kyubi.'

'Your opponent has the Rinnegan and it makes Ninjutsu useless…' Kyubi said calmly. The damage so far was still nothing. Naruto could do this all day. Because he wasn't using too much of chakra, it meant that he still plenty of power to do this.

'The environment doesn't even benefit me. The ones I cut are back at one piece once more. It's really not fair. But I know of way to get this done.' He said with a smile. 'We just have to attack the real body with one your most powerful jutsu. We however, have to contain the explosion by using a barrier.'

'I can't gather enough chakra to supercharge with you fighting.'

'Not a problem.' Naruto said. 'We will use the clouds to our advantage. I will fuse my chakra with them to create a shield. But you first have to gather natural energy.'

'Get it done.'

'They will notice me but there is no way about this.' He said before slamming his right hand on the ground. He closed his eyes as his chakra washed over the village. Having sensed their location, Naruto created a clone in Kurama Mode. The clone disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The Six Paths gathered before Naruto. He was staring at the six of them all at once for the first time. It was just as Fukasaku said. But this was still dangerous.

Naruto stood up and removed his burnt and torn cloak. He sheathed his sword and massaged his neck for a couple of seconds: it was about time to get on the offensive.

He held out his right hand: lightning encased it for a couple of seconds. He pointed his index finger towards the Ningendo. " **Divine Judgement**."

The lightning hit in the blink of an eye: the paths had no time to react when the lightning hit Ningendo. When the jutsu hit, it caused an explosion of lightning and it caused the other paths to jump into safety. Ningendo was covered by a white dome of pure lightning.

Naruto didn't wait for the lightning to clear before making his next move: because the paths had separated in an attempt to escape the range of his lightning jutsu, he was able to go after one of them.

The blond flashed behind the Gakido. He was twisting slightly above the ground before his right foot was swung for a high back aimed at the pack of the path's head. Even without seeing him, the path ducked under the kick while lifting up its right foot. It did a back kick, slamming the base of its foot on Naruto's gut.

The moment it connected, Naruto grabbed the foot with both his hands. His reaction was lightning faster: he slammed the path down the hard ground, causing a loud boom as the path got buried down.

Naruto quickly formed a Katon Rasengan and attempted to slam in into the downed path, but as he bent down, the Asura path released a blue wave of energy from a bazooka canon. The blast covered the distance in massive speed and slammed into Naruto's chest. Upon collision with Naruto, it exploded and sent the blond crashing into the tall building behind him.

Naruto's collision with the steel wall was loud and the wall was damaged slightly but the Katon Rasengan was still alive on the palm of his right hand.

Naruto was forced to shift his head to his left side when the Animal path's fist drove through the wall like a bullet. Having missed, the path quickly attempted to flee but Naruto raised his right hand and hurled the jutsu on his hand towards the path.

The jutsu slammed into the path's chest. Boom! Powerful flames with intense heat covered the path's entire body for a couple of seconds before it fell down the ground, its cloak burnt and looking lifeless.

Naruto removed himself from the wall and flexed his muscles slightly.

"I see why you have been able to cause us problems… you truly are strong…" Pain said calmly. This was the fourth path the blond was destroying. Ningendo had been turned into ash, so it could not be revived without getting another body. "It has truly been an honor fighting a fellow student of Jiraiya. Our master has truly trained powerful shinobi."

"Well, thank you for the compliment…" Naruto said with a smile. He didn't like that the remaining four had gathered together once more. But there was just no avoiding it.

He flashed through hand seals before inhaling a bit of air. "Katon: Goka Messhitsu!" Naruto exhaled a powerful stream of flames from his mouth. The flames rushed towards the paths in a stream. The Gakido moved to intercept the jutsu by activating its chakra absorption barrier. The flames never set off into a beautiful explosion of incinerating flames as the path slowly absorbed them.

Naruto suddenly flashed behind Tendo: he had his hands on his sword; his knees were bent slightly as his body twisted to face the path with the blade cutting through the air as it made its way towards the back of the path.

The path held out its right hand without even looking at Naruto and pulled the blond. The force was so powerful that Naruto couldn't resist and it occurred quickly that the path grabbed him by his throat in the blink of an eye. Before Naruto could even think of moving his sword, the path twisted its body and brutally slammed his body to the ground.

Naruto flinched in pain as his back slammed into the ground. The shock of the collision caused his body to shake silently in pain.

"You have held yourself quite well but this ends it…" the Deva Path said. It was still holding on to his throat.

The moment those words left its lips, the other two paths attacked: they both had chakra rods and attempted to pin him down the ground by piercing the rods through both his shoulders. But Naruto's reaction to the attack was faster. He let go of his sword and moved both his hands quickly to grab the rods.

"Oh? You have good reflexes…" Pain said.

Naruto was sweating: he was only barely holding on. Both his hands were bleeding and the paths were still pushing to stab him.

The Gakido moved: it was done absorbing his Majestic Flames. The path moved quickly to pierce a kunai through his right foot, just above his ankle.

Naruto cursed loudly as the kunai pierced through his foot. The path had put so much strength that the kunai went through his bone and pinned his foot to the ground. Blood did not waste time gushing out.

"Your struggle is futile at this stage. You should just let yourself be captured and contribute to our dream of bringing peace to the world." Pain said calmly. "You must be commended for fighting so bravely without even using the Kyubi's power."

Naruto couldn't respond: not when he was desperately trying to hold back two merciless paths from disrupting his chakra flow.

Using the Kyubi's power would not have made much difference when the opponent made ninjutsu useless. It would have just increased his speed. But given that he had twelve eyes watching him, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. He would have just used more chakra.

Itachi had warned him: if that masked man appeared to him after burning too much chakra, he would not be in a position to fight.

'You seem to be in a bind… do you need my help?' Kurama asked with amusement.

'This isn't funny. If I drop this, I'm done for it.'

'That's what you get for fighting the Rinnegan without my help.' Kurama said carelessly.

Naruto went through some thoughts before asking. 'You seem to grasp that the Rinnegan is more powerful than I imagined. I will interrogate you on how you know that after we survive this.' Naruto said in a serious tone. 'Can my clones set up the barrier?'

'Yes.'

Naruto turned his attention to Pain. "I have to admit, I'd never been stabbed like this before. I didn't think things would be like this. But I still cannot lose, for the sake of peace."

"You are still holding on very well…" Tendo said. A second later, the Gakido stabbed a rob through his left foot. Naruto let out a small cry with his foot being impaled. Both were not impaled.

Savage bastards.

"How do you plan on finding this peace of yours? This world is full of hatred and pain. I killed our master, can you not say that some of your actions today were fuelled by anger? Can you say you don't hate me?"

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment. His clones should have gathered enough chakra to set up the barrier to shield the village from the hell he was about to raise.

Around the tallest tower:

A large crimson barrier quickly formed, encasing the building. Above the clouds, a massive nine tailed chakra manifestation of the Kyubi had already supercharged a Tailed-beast bomb and condensed it to a small bomb that would fit through the barrier.

" **Bijuudama**!"

The Tailed-Beast Bomb blasted through the clouds in the blink of an eye. It hit the tallest tower and set off a massive explosion that shook the Hidden Rain. The entire village was alarmed as flames threatened to break through from the barrier. The barrier didn't hold for too long nevertheless. The force of the jutsu was just too powerful to be contained by the clones.

Massive amount of debris went through like waves as a mushroom of flames and steel took the skies with no sight of the tallest tower.

It lasted for a couple of minutes but when the debris finally died down, the entire building had been wiped out and all that remained was a large crater within the village.

Without his mechanical walker or the rods on his back, Nagato was lying with his back. He was still alive. He had survived the blast, but it has taken so much power from him he didn't think he could continue to fight.

"Nagato!" Konan rushed over to her partner with a worried look on her face. She had been watching the battle of the paths and Naruto. She hadn't thought he would plot something like this.

"Konan…" Nagato said in a weak tone. "Jiraiya-sensei's message must have included something about the real one not being amongst the ones fighting." He paused. "I never thought I'd be defeated this way."

"He has also suffered damage, I can end him." Konan said confidently. The damage the paths had dealt on Naruto was significant and enough to deter him for making reckless moves.

"That I have…" Naruto said as he walked up into the crater: he was battered, bruised, bleeding and shirtless. The Kyubi had taken care of the damage on his ankles, but he was still in pain and would need some time to recover.

Seeing Naruto, Konan took a defensive stance to protect Nagato.

Naruto held out his right hand, causing lightning to spark. "I have recharged enough: I can smite you now… but I'd like to talk. I want to hear your way of peace and see if it is better than mine. If not, I will end you."

"Do you think I will let you?" Konan asked. She was still a member of the Akatsuki. In his condition, Naruto couldn't take her on.

"Konan, its fine. He won…" Nagato said. "I was wondering why you didn't use that jutsu again. That is the draw back with powerful jutsus, you can't use them randomly…"

When Naruto got close to Nagato, he threw himself down, literally. He fell on his butt and looked at Nagato. He looked so thin and Naruto was sure it wasn't because of the Tailed-Beast Bomb.

"I can't believe I got brutalized by a cripple…" Naruto said with distaste in his tongue. "You said we could understand each other because we are Jiraiya's students. I do believe that people can understand each other. It is a matter of whether we are willing to put ourselves in their position or not. I am willing to do that to understand you because we both desire peace."

"I just said that…" Nagato said blankly. "But you won, its only fair I share my story if you are willing to listen to it."

"I am willing…" Naruto said. "Most of the pointless battles shinobi fight are simply because they don't want to listen to anyone. Without listening to other people, you can never understand their side of the story and conflicts can never be resolved.

"But there are situations in which people listen to you but still don't understand you. I'm sure Jiraiya tried to talk you out of your ways, but you could not understand each other and so he died…"

Nagato thought for a couple of moments: Naruto's language was interesting. He didn't speak as someone who understood pain but he spoke as someone who understands how the shinobi world works, how shinobi think – he appeared to understand all that.

"We are not only former students of Jiraiya, but we are both from the Uzumaki clan and have lost our parents…" Nagato said in thought. "Perhaps we are best suited to understand each other better. It is also something that we both desire peace. Perhaps we have seen much pain and injustice that we want to change this world."

Naruto adopted a thoughtful look on his face: there had been pain, injustice and mostly loneliness. For him, it had been because of the hatred, and the perception around Bijuus.

"Maybe…" Naruto started slowly. "I just experienced hatred in the hands of people for something that I had no hand in… What was it? Yes, the pain Konoha's people felt for losing their loved ones caused them to look at me as nothing more than the Bijuu sealed within me. For years, they denied my existence.

"Jiraiya-sensei taught me a lot about peace. Maybe it was my past experience but the more he spoke of a peaceful world, the deeper I thought and desired for it. I have been willing to kill for peace. Perhaps does the opposite effect because when you kill someone, someone is hurt, someone will hate you. When people are consumed by their hatred, they can never be at peace, not with themselves and certainly not with other people." Naruto paused for a moment before smiling sadly. "With his death, I am more determined than ever to achieve my dream…"

At this, Konan finally spoke. "You sound a little more like him now…" she said pointing at Nagato with her eyes. It did appear that even the blond was willing to go the extreme to get things done. For his dream. For peace.

Yet, he appears to be someone who understands pain, someone who has experienced it. Nagato had mentioned that.

"Well, we are all Jiraiya-sensei students…" Nagato said in a measured tone. He went on to explain his story, his pain and his willingness to do everything to get peace.

Naruto had listened attentively. He understood but did not agree with everything. This posed him with a question: what happens when you understand someone's pain but still can't agree with his actions? It was perhaps the same scenario Jiraiya faced before his death.

He also had a situation with the Hidden Leaf. Tsunade should understand his pain, even though she knew it wasn't the reason for his desire to leave the village, but the Godaime Hokage has refused to understand his reasons. She didn't want to understand them because she thought he was wrong to leave.

Those in power always think they are in the right. He had power and he was going to force his ideals to other people. Power wasn't a bad thing. It was how it was used. Naruto was willing to be evil if it was it took for the shinobi world to see peace.

"I think Yahiko was not wrong in his way. You were doing good. At least even you guys experienced this yourselves. You were happy. You enjoyed living. What happened wasn't naivety: it was simply with people who did not want you to achieve you dream. Just because you are doing good doesn't mean that people will treat you good. People will feel threatened by your power and will do whatever possible to stop you for their own power. When bad things happen, your worth is determined by your attitude… do you continue or do you give up? If you made a difference and people willingly join your cause, you were making a difference."

Naruto had his ways of doing things but he was certain that the original group headed by Yahiko was doing something wonderful. People willingly joined a good cause without expecting pay but merely for the sake of doing good.

"Perhaps…" Nagato said in thought. "We had good days but they only brought us pain."

Naruto shook his head. "It wasn't your ways that brought you pain. But it was the treacherous part of human nature that brought pain. We all experience pain and love. I was kind and joyous, but I was not loved. I was loathed. I was miserable and lonely in the inside. Had I changed my way of living, it would have just turned me into something else. Perhaps fueled by hatred but I would be miserable."

"Then why have you changed?"

"I can't say I have changed… at least not everything about me…" Naruto said with a small bitter smile. "But I understand that there is a bigger problem than just people hating each other. The shinobi system can be good. Compared to the warring times, these days are peaceful. But there must be measures taken to ensure that major villages are punished for their wrongs. People still need to stop being selfish and think for other people. The elemental nations must change their attitude. For peace, all this has to happen. But people still have to be willing to understand each other for cooperation. When we share, we know each other, we understand each other."

Nagato nodded and went silent for a couple of moments. "Perhaps Yahiko would have found joy in talking to you…" he said. "My ideals have fallen away from what Sensei desired."

'Naruto, you have been complaining about bloodlines and the lack of an idea to grow your power…' Kurama said to Naruto. 'How about you take his eyes? The Rinnegan has always been a symbol of peace or destruction. Its abilities are unparalleled. Not even the Sharingan's abilities can measure up to the things that can be done by the Rinnegan.'

Naruto appeared before the Bijuu with an expressionless mask on his face. 'You have been in existence for years, so you would know. If you know about it, then you must know about the Sage.'

'I'm giving you an idea… you can take it if you like…' Kurama said.

Naruto didn't say anything. He considered his options before speaking. He talked to Nagato about the Rinnegan but Konan intervened. Nagato said it was fine, he had run his race. It had ended miserably, but after speaking to Naruto he had hoped again.

He discussed the issue with Nagato. He was willing to use force to get it. He could still smite Konan to clear the way and even put his blade through Nagato's throat. But the man didn't disagree to anything. He was more than willing to support the dream.

"Konan…" Naruto said in a serious tone. "The masked Uchiha… as Nagato said, he is likely to come for the Rinnegan. Can we make him believe I didn't take it?"

Konan raised an eye brow and asked. "Why?" She wasn't surprised that he knew about 'Madara' but the surprise was why he wanted to keep it a secret.

"I met him: I don't know a damn thing about his jutsu. As things stand, I'm not sure a battle between him and me would produce a result favorable to me."

"I had something planned up for him. I can take him on. We have always known that a day would come because all he has ever been interested in with Nagato was the Rinnegan…" Konan said.

Naruto nodded. He stood up and faced Konan. "Give me your right hand…" he said. Konan did so with a raised brow. "In case things don't go as planned, just activate this seal…" he said drawing up a seal on the palm of her hand with his chakra. "It will save your life… well, if you need it. I'm going to be away a couple of weeks…" he paused. "Where is Jiraiya's body?"

"Bottom of the lake."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I will look for it. Not now at least. My body has taken quite the beating."

Konan looked at Naruto strangely. "Even though it does look as if you have taken a path that would have led you to fight Jiraiya sensei, and are genuinely sad of his death, you didn't come here to fight for revenge…"

Naruto smiled sadly. "Being able to control your emotions is important. Thoughts of revenge are some of the reasons shinobi are soaked in hatred. Would I have any right to fight against it if I allowed my decisions to be pushed by hatred?"

 **Somewhere in the Fire Country**

Itachi's eyes lit up as Sasuke appeared before him. He was sitting, having been waiting for the younger Uchiha. He stared blankly. "Hello, Sasuke. I have been waiting for you."

Sasuke glared murderously as his hands became engulfed in lightning. The Sharingan spun wildly for a couple of seconds before he spoke.

"I hope you are prepared to die, Itachi."

The elder Uchiha shook his head. "Unfortunately, I have too much to do to die. I want your eyes. They will give me unimaginable power…"

 **End of chapter**

 **I received a lot of reviews on the past chapter – that was nice. Anyway, things will start happening for real in the next chapter. Seriously. Having said that, it is unlikely the story will be long.**

 **You can expect the next before the month ends.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	12. Chapter 12

**Amegakure**

Obito was standing atop of the lake that surrounded the Hidden Rain with Konan standing on a steel pole. It was something that Konan would come here even though her jutsu was at its weak when it came to contact with water.

This was going to be a battle ground. There was no reason the woman would come here unless she wanted to fight him. He'd come here expecting things to happen in this way because he wanted to the Rinnegan. He couldn't let Nagato do everything now. He'd run out of patience. There was also the likely hood that Nagato was dead. A battle had taken place in this village but he didn't know anything about it. Zetsu hadn't observed it.

"Where is Nagato, Konan? The Gedo Mazo has been summoned by someone else. If Nagato is dead, then someone else took the Rinnegan. I can only think of Naruto, but we don't know where he is because he has disappeared once more…"

Konan felt no urge to respond to the question. She wasn't here for that. She was here to put an end to this man.

"I have been waiting for you, Madara…" she said calmly.

Obito narrowed his eyes dangerously. "So you have betrayed the Akatsuki…"

"I have not betrayed the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki was there before you came. Yahiko created the Akatsuki and named it…" Konan said before he lower body burst into butterflies. She held out her right hand. "You just tried to use Nagato for his Rinnegan."

"The Rinnegan was never Nagato's. I gave it to him!" Obito said. A chakra rod burst out from his right sleeve. "You will tell me where it is and where Naruto is."

 **Konohagakure**

Naruto was standing by the gravesite before a memorial stone of his former sensei. He had the remains of the Sannin, so he knew these people hadn't buried anything. Still, the Toad Sage was a massive loss to the shinobi world and especially to Konoha. He might have been getting old, but he had still been a powerful member of the Hidden Leaf who contributed much to the village's security than anyone.

The Toad Sage was dead: he was no more. Perhaps he could bring the man back with the Rinnegan but Jiraiya had run his race. Besides that, he wasn't looking forward to using that kind of power for such purposes. With the doujutsu, there would be no need for him to even get the Kyubi's other half from his father.

The power of the doujutsu was just godly and from how the Kyubi kept describing its abilities, Naruto knew there was much more. But perhaps he could not do anything more because he was not the original bearer of the doujutsu. Even so, with how Nagato fought, he fought in a 'weakened' state compared to when utilizing his main body. But it was understandable with Nagato given his lack of mobility.

Naruto wasn't just here to drop off the remains of the Toad Sage; he also brought the Toad contract to Konoha. Had the Sandaime been alive, maybe Konohamaru would inherit his grandfather's summoning contract. But he had already shown the boy the Rasengan; someone had to take over the Toad contract.

Naruto's shut eyes turned to his right as Tsunade slowly made her way towards him. She was walking slowly, the Anbu were creeping in the shadows and man, there were a lot of them. It looked as if the Godaime Hokage was walking in enemy territory even she was still in her very own village. The good thing was that it didn't feel as if they wanted to attack him, neither did Tsunade. He couldn't feel any intent from her. But he knew it could change at any time.

The Godaime Hokage stopped beside Naruto and stared at the memorial stone in silence. She had an unreadable look on her face and her eyes looked tired.

Not long ago, he had been threatening to blow up the Hokage Monument if they did not let him go but today, they were standing here; there was no sign of animosity. They were just standing before the stone a man they both once cared for. Jiraiya. The Legendary Toad Sage.

"When the Toads came to bring the message, I thought you'd return…" Tsunade said in a quiet sad tone. "I waited for you. But you never showed. I know he meant a lot to you, but you never showed." When she finished speaking, there was a bit of bitterness in her tone.

Naruto wondered, would he really have been welcomed in this village even though he would have come here to mourn the death of his former sensei? These people of this village would have likely blamed him for the death. They would have found fault in his actions. He would not have cared but he still didn't regret not coming here. What would it have changed? Mourning? He could do that alone. He had been alone when growing up. Other people just came now into his life. He didn't have them anymore though.

He only had the Kyubi. The Bijuu was his one true partner. They might have been enemies; a warden and his prisoner but the Bijuu has always been with him. It wasn't by choice but it just meant he wasn't truly alone. He couldn't say he was alone because he didn't have other humans with him because really, the past month had taught him he had graduated from just being a mere human.

He held the power of life and death in his hands. He could choose to create or destroy. He could do either perfectly because he had the power.

"I'm still a rogue shinobi…" Naruto's tone was low, there was a bit of emotion in his voice and his eyes were opened slightly. There was no life in those patterns, it was just power and power alone.

"I thought Jiraiya's death would convince you to come back. It would show you that you can't fight alone…" Tsunade said. Her eyes remained fixed on the stone before her. She never glanced at Naruto's direction.

"Jiraiya's death did convince me of something but it wasn't to come back. Besides, I'm not alone. Not in this world, not in my fights…" Naruto responded. "The Toads told me and I went to fight the leader of the Akatsuki. I won of course… It wasn't easy as I make it sound but I won and perhaps we might have a revitalized Akatsuki."

Upon hearing that, Tsunade's head snapped towards Naruto. "The Akatsuki isn't dead?" there was anger in her tone and eyes. "If not, Konoha will hunt them down."

Naruto shook his head. This anger. This emotion. Why couldn't people just forgive? It wasn't easy was it? It was difficult, especially when someone has taken your loved ones. Yet it was not impossible. Acting in anger only continued the cycle of hatred and it didn't bring an end to conflicts.

"That attitude is what is wrong with shinobi. When you have a problem, you think of killing people. You think of tearing down your enemies…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Where is the peace in that?"

The slug princess frowned. "Please don't tell me you have taken Jiraiya's ideals…" she said. "Look where his ideals took him? He never saw them because he thought of the impossible."

"That is just high emotions talking… Idealistic… yes but Jiraiya made sense when he spoke. That is why I listened to him…" Naruto said calmly, his voice a bit stern. "But it is a bit pitiful that he ended up dying in the hands of his former student and the student he had once thought to be the child of prophecy…"

Perhaps it was some sort of sick joke from whoever controlled the fate of man. At that thought, Naruto shook his head. Did he want to think like a certain Hyuga he had defeated in the Chunin exams? He'd never believed in crap such as a fate. It was especially worse now since he took Nagato's position as the God of Peace.

"Maybe but Jiraiya's world could never be realized in this world. Not with the shinobi system…" the Godaime Hokage said with a shake of her head.

"It is because you don't believe it that you don't see it. You can never even give it a try because you think it is impossible…" Naruto responded to the slug princess. "When you truly want something, you make an effort to get it. To try by all means to ensure that your plan succeeds. But when you don't give an effort, you can't make anything happen.

"I will make things happen. I will do it because I believe it. I have seen the world I desire. I have seen a world where Kages act as one not only in the interest of their homes but of the Elemental Nations." Naruto paused and sighed. "I didn't come here for this…" he said with a shake of his head.

"So even after this, you will not come back…" there anger and frustration was evident in Tsunade's voice. "I will not beg you, Naruto. I'm tired of it. But if you do anything we don't like, we will fight you."

"I expect you to do so…" Naruto said lightly. They would be forced to fight because he would not show mercy even to this village which was his former home.

It was certain that striking an understanding with Tsunade would be difficult. It was either her way or nothing happens at all. But then again, his actions would make the Kages feel that the security of their villages is under threat.

"You really sound prepared to do whatever you want…" Tsunade eyed the blond Jinchuriki. "I truly hope that this thing of peace isn't just a mask you will be wearing to justify your actions…"

Naruto smiled. It was always like a principle. Shinobi had ways to justify whatever evil they do. And as long as they justified whatever it was, they would be without complains or a thread of regret.

"Maybe I have just lost myself in the pain and loneliness and I just want to let it rip…" Naruto said. "Nothing is fair in this world. Those with power are always right because they are winners. They get away with everything because they are the strong."

"What are you suggesting?"

Naruto shook his head and took out two scrolls from his coat at handed them to the Godaime. "One contains Jiraiya's remains and the Toad Contract. I recommend Konohamaru for it."

Naruto placed his hands inside the pockets of his coat and started walking away from the Godaime.

Tsunade didn't say anything to him. She merely watched him leave in silence. There was no attempt to stop him. Not from her. Not from her Anbu. She had learned from last time. If Naruto was going to walk into the village, she would not force things.

 **Meanwhile**

 **Yamanaka Flower Shop**

It was perhaps fortunate that he was able to find the blonde woman. Naruto had looked for a little before finding Ino in the flower shop. He was sure there would be some yelling from the blonde but it wasn't anything that made him frightened to walk into the shop, in the disguise he was wearing.

Ino was busy watering her flowers, alone in the shop. He smiled and held out his right hand, waving it slowly. "Ino…" he greeted.

The Yamanaka looked up and stared at him for a couple of moments with a thoughtful look on her face. She then pointed out her index finger with eyes wide slightly.

"You!" She exclaimed with mild anger. There was recognition in her eyes. Even with the disguise, she was able to tell it was him. "You violated me and then disappeared!" She shouted as if she didn't care if someone heard her. It had been more than a month since she last saw him. With everything that happened around the village, she had expected to see him but there was nothing.

He hadn't shown up. He hadn't written. It was just silence. Almost made her feel as if she had been used.

"Not so loud…" Naruto said in a hushed tone. "You don't want people knowing its me, do you?" he wasn't going to tell her he was still just a clone. She was likely going to try to destroy him if he did that.

"You are in a henge, who would see you?" Ino responded carelessly. "Besides, I can't even recognize your chakra signature…" she tilted her head to the side and then walked closer to him, staring into his eyes. "You feel different…"

"I am different…" Naruto said but he did not even go further – even when Ino gave him a look. "You still look refreshingly beautiful… but it hasn't been that long…"

"About six weeks is a long time in the shinobi world…" Ino said with a stare. "I could have been married or knocked up by that time. Things happen quickly…"

Naruto blinked at the choice of words by the woman. But she was still very true. Hell, a war could start and end with thousands of shinobi dead within that time. Perhaps it was no wonder they say once you put a headband, you are old enough for anything.

It was just an expression but something that genins took very seriously. It was also something that was used as an excuse to do things adults do. Hey, if you were old enough to kill, you were old enough to screw, drink and sleep wherever you wanted.

A morally crippled society and this girl was the sort of person who'd say things like that. Was she morally flawed? No, she just liked living her life to the fullest.

"Marriage?" Naruto looked thoughtful. "You looking into marriage, Ino? You are at that age…"

Ino shrugged. "Who knows?" She said. "I still want to have fun with my life. The might be thinking about it. But I don't want it, not now…" she said.

Naruto nodded. "I have never thought of marriage since I grew. I did fantasize about it with Sakura but that was about it…"

Ino laughed at this. "Your crush on Sakura was a bit laughable. How can you be so hopelessly in love with someone like that?"

Naruto stared for a long minute. "Weren't you a fan girl of a certain Uchiha that you were willing to curse anyone who badmouthed him?" he asked with a raised eye brow. "Hell, you girls cared more about how you looked before the princess than your training as kunoichi…"

Ino didn't find it amusing that Naruto called Sasuke a princess. But she was embarrassed about her old self. "At least I grew out of it!" She thought of Sakura and shook her head. The pinkette wasn't going to move on. Not with Sasuke still out there.

"At least you did…" Naruto said with a nod. "Who could have even thought you'd be standing with me now like this?"

"Had someone said it years ago I would have been disgusted…" Ino said with a straight face. "You were loud, bright, obnoxious, annoying and an idiot…"

"Hey…" Naruto said with a hurt look on his face. "I have feelings you know…"

Once more, Ino shrugged carelessly. "So?"

Naruto looked shocked for a moment before shaking his head. "You are cold…" he said as he removed the distance between them. His hands moved around the blonde and he pulled her closer. His fingers walked down her spine for a couple of moments before he pushed her away.

The blond smiled. "So, what did I miss?"

Ino glared and folded her hands across her burst. It was rather cruel for Naruto to tease like that. She had feelings! For a moment, she considered just glaring at him.

"Jiraiya-sama's memorial service…" Ino said with an intensive stare. "There were tears. Despite the man being known as a self proclaimed super pervert, he was well liked. Even though you are still a missing-nin, I thought you'd have come…"

Naruto was silent. Everyone seemed to put some importance in his appearance at the village for the festival of tears. Had there been time to cry for him? Admittedly, he was aggrieved by the whole situation.

Taking care of the leader of the Akatsuki had been priority. It would be a blatant denial if he denied that there hadn't been some thoughts of anger in his actions. But he hadn't been influenced to going to Ame because of it.

"There were other pressing matters…" Naruto said. He paused and eyed Ino with a raised eye brow. "I'm not under interrogation, am I?"

"No but it was just curious…" the Yamanaka said. "What were you doing? You seem to be busy… I can't say I'm not curious on what you do when you move around the Elemental Nations…"

Naruto looked at Ino silently. He wasn't going to tell her things. He wasn't that stupid but at the same time, he did understand she would be curious. He hasn't done anything yet. But he would be checking with Konan to see if the Akatsuki was over, if so, then he would get busy. No one would have to guess his motives.

"You'll hear in the next weeks… I'm going to be famous… infamous rather…" Naruto said with a smile. If he slipped and said something, Bijuu inside of him would certainly have a field day with him. "Wanna join me?"

Ino blinked at this. She stared for a long minute and tried to figure if the blond was serious but she could not figure out anything. "And be hunted down? I don't think so. My dad would be saddened…"

"Ah… daddy's little girl…" Naruto said with a smile. "For a grown woman that's a problem… I should be saying you are my girl, but it seems I must compete with your father… how is that fair anyway?"

"You're not funny…" Ino said with a bite before she sighed.

"On the bright side of things, you got big daddy to protect you." The blond said with grin, his chest puffed up a bit.

Ino smiled. "Well, if the rumours are true, you have become powerful…" she paused. "I want to see you in action. I'm not crazed out be bloody things but I just want to see what you can do…"

"One day…" Naruto said. He repeated those words once. "I should come and kidnap you one day…"

"That'll just get me in trouble with Tsunade-sama… I was forced to lie to her when she asked me questions…" Ino said with a shake of her head. "I figure if I get caught it will be a big deal."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Ino didn't seem worried. Not even the least. "Why does it sound like it will be a fun ride for you?"

"Well, my life is a little dull. Even if I'm caught, nothing major will happen. It will ruin my prospects in the Intel division…" she sounded thoughtful but then shrugged. "Well, you didn't disappoint last time… if you don't next time, I will be worth it…"

Naruto stared and took a step back. "Get away from me you senile woman!"

"You'll scare my customers!" Ino hushed him.

Naruto looked around the empty shop. There were no customers to speak of and so he faced the Yamanaka. "Imaginary ones or are they just invisible?"

"I'll become invisible as them if you continue speaking like this…" Ino said with a straight face.

Naruto stared for a long minute before laughing. He shook his head. "You are one special person. I think being around you will give me some special moments." He said with a smile. "You should be worried about getting caught though. It will bring you unnecessary pain…" his tone was serious.

What he would end up becoming would not be something anyone would want to be associated with.

Ino shrugged. "The only way I'm getting caught is if you knock me up… I don't think my dad would try to get into my head…" the blonde said carelessly.

Naruto blinked. "I'll bury myself if that happens." He said.

"What?" Ino said. "We are at that age. I should be married now, thinking about having children."

That kind of thing. Had things not changed, it would have been Naruto's thoughts as well. It would have been his desire and he would be pursuing Tsunade's hat. But he was not thinking about it. He wasn't going to get married. But could not be married on this road.

The sacrifices he had to make for this world. He was born miserable but he didn't have to die miserable, did he?

"If you get married, I won't have reason to come here unless I want to break off your marriage…" Naruto said with a sad look on his eyes.

"I'd kill you with my bear hands if you did that…" Ino said in a firm tone. She made hand motions to show him how she would go about it.

Naruto shook his head. He could see the Yamanaka doing it. "What time do you knock off? I got to be somewhere tomorrow…" if the clone was staying with her, there would be no need to worry. But the original would take over. So there was the question that affected his travels.

"As soon as I call my mother to replace me…" Ino said.

 **Two Days Later**

 **Amegakure**

The site where the tallest tower once stood now stood a steel structure. It was apparent that Konan was rebuilding her base of operations. The Hidden Rain was hers without Nagato. The clouds were not above the village, the sun was shining bright and the people seemed happy to be seeing the sun. It was always raining. So when it stopped, it was a joy.

The Rain had been Hanzo's village. He was a man who made the Sannins famous. He was a man who Nagato killed and eradicated everyone who had connections with him within the Rain and then turned it into a peaceful village. The people worshiped their angel and their god.

Naruto smiled at the thought of an angel. Hadn't he said he would smite Konan? It was ironic, wasn't it?

Naruto looked up as he saw paper butterflies. This was Konan's ability. When the butterflies flew away, he followed them slowly. He figured they were here to lead him to the leader of the Hidden Rain.

The building he was led to wasn't as big as the last one but it was still a tall building. It was still not as tallest building within the village.

Naruto found Konan sitting at the balcony, her body unmoving with her eyes looking down at the village. "You sneaked into the village days ago…" she said as Naruto stopped on her right side.

"I wanted to see if the village was still as secure as it had been while taking Jiraiya's remains…" Naruto responded calmly. He could have greeted, but he had been unwilling to do so at the time. "You are still alive, I'll consider this a success in your attempt to stay alive…"

That other Uchiha would have come here if he couldn't get anything from Nagato over the past month. If he had known that Nagato had battled someone, he would have still come here for the Rinnegan. Nothing was a sure thing. Maybe what Itachi feared became the reality and the man found a curious case to study in the form of Uchiha Sasuke.

Either way, Naruto was still not willing to face the man. Not when he didn't know his abilities. Speed was fundamental in fighting that kind of person.

"He came… I would have died but thanks to you, I stayed alive…" Konan said. There was no smile on her lips. Her mask remained expressionless.

Hearing this, Naruto smiled brightly. "That is a case to celebrate…" the blond said happily. "This means that the Akatsuki is no more. I can finally begin my conquest for peace."

"I will be here to support you as I supported him…" Konan said.

Naruto smiled upon hearing those words. He now had a companion that was human. It was funny how things worked in this world, wasn't it? Either way, he was at peace with the thought of a friend he could count on. Even better, the woman had been a student of a man who taught him many things about being a shinobi.

They would get along just fine. As long as he didn't try to betray the dream.

"I will take you up on that…" Naruto said. "Where is this 'Madara?"

Konan didn't offer an immediate response. "I sealed it. You can't get to it. The seal is set to ignite millions of paper bombs. He came back from the dead once; I don't want to take a chance if he does the same trick twice. The moment his chakra becomes active, the bombs go off. Only I can go in…"

Naruto appeared thoughtful for a moment before nodding. But he was wary about this woman. She appeared meticulous. She appeared like the kind of person who studies your abilities and uses that to destroy you. Because she knew his abilities, she likely had the means to stop him, or at least try to. But she certainly knew the weaknesses of all jutsus Nagato used, if there was any.

"I don't want to be your enemy…" Naruto said with a smile. The blond then stared into the space ahead of him. "What do you want to do after peace, Konan? Do you not want to enjoy it by doing something?"

Konan looked thoughtful for a few moments before responding. "I've never thought of that." She said.

"You should…" Naruto said in a firm tone. "I realize that the core desire is peace, but you cannot deny yourself happiness. And we cannot end our thinking with just peace. We must also imagine ourselves living in this peaceful world.

"When you see yourself living in a world you created, you have the desire to continue living no matter what. You don't see your life end with your dream, but you see it continuing and that gives you the confidence to continue fighting for what you believe in…"

Konan last thought of happiness when Yahiko was still alive. There had never been a time when she felt the need to think about love and happiness. Who could she even love now? She had been focused on caring and supporting Nagato nothing ever mattered.

When was the last time she sat down and laughed? Those days are long gone but Naruto was telling her to think about it. Between the days with Nagato and the happy days, she would certainly pick the latter. She cared for Nagato, but there was never a happy moment. Then again, Nagato hadn't been like Yahiko.

Still, could she even have happiness? The thought was always about the dream and the plans but there was never anything about what would happen when the dream was achieved.

"That is a different way to look into things…" Konan said calmly. "I wonder if I can still have that. I'm not young as I was…"

Naruto laughed at this. "You're still an active woman and beautiful. Age doesn't have anything to do with happiness. You make the effort to be happy." The blond said. "I could have chosen to look another direction but I understand that I can make something from my life. I don't want to die miserable…" the blond paused and glanced Konan with wide eyes. "If you can't find anyone to love you, I have a big heart…"

Konan stared for a while before shaking her head. She was not flustered. Naruto couldn't even tell if she was surprised. There was just no reaction from her.

"When do you begin?"

"What a difficult woman…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "I'm going to see Iwagakure and then Suna. I will rest for a couple of days and head to Kumogakure. There will probably be chaos in that village. I will see Kirigakure after that and then come back here to see the reaction."

"Remember; if you need anything, don't forget to come to me…"

Naruto smiled. "I will not forget…" he said. "Well, let me depart before I stall for more time… if I don't begin now, I never will begin…" he glanced at Konan with his head tilted to the side. "You are the Angel and Nagato was the God, right?"

"Yes…"

"Then I will become the new god…" he said before jumping away from the balcony. He twisted his body, which was in a horizontal position, to face up with his back facing the streets. He smiled and waved at Konan as gravity pulled him down.

Konan did not wave; she just stared at the blond with her expressionless mask. He was starting to be something else, wasn't he? He certainly didn't look like someone who could cause chaos and destruction. The blond had life in him, he spoke of happiness. It was truly a different atmosphere to one that she was accustomed to. But there was no harm, was there?

She had loved and had been hurt by death and pain. It was just as Naruto said: because we are hurt, we mustn't stop trying to live. Humans were not perfect, so they will make mistakes, they hurt you. One just had to accept things and try to be happy again.

Konan had to try that.

But she didn't think she could. She has even forgotten how to smile. Has she smiled since Yahiko died? No. But Nagato had died with a smile. She wanted to go in the same way.

 **Unknown Location**

Sasuke was staring into the heavens with a narrowed look of his Mangekyo Sharingan. His life had truly taken an unexpected turn. He thought he would've been done with his revenge with Itachi gone but another bombshell from a man who claims to be Madara meant that he could not stop. His brother had been ordered for Konoha to kill their parents but hadn't been able to kill him.

It was a crushing revelation that had shocked him and left him with many questions. First, he wanted to understand why his brother would go that far. Why would he love Konoha to the point of sacrificing everything for it. What was even a shinobi?

The Hidden Leaf had more darkness than what he had thought. Orochimaru had told him a couple of things but he had never thought that things would have been to this point. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't even skin the man who gave the order to his brother.

Sasuke truly felt contempt towards those people. For these past years, he had been hell bent on hating his brother but it turned out, his brother was innocent and wanted to leave him with the gift of the Mangekyo. The eyes were powerful. But he still had many questions that needed be answered.

It was in this case that he was curious about what Naruto was doing. The people here had said he had vanished off the grid once more. This uncanny ability of the blond to just vanish like that off the face of the Elemental Nations was an ability he thought to be troublesome.

Sasuke's Sharingan glanced to the side as he sensed black Zetsu walking towards him. "It has been more than a week since he left. He said he was going to collect something, is he having some difficulties?"

"He ran into a bit of difficulty and is resting…" Black Zetsu said.

He did need to know what to do from now on. Because Obito had failed didn't mean that he would stop with his ambition. No, there was still a way. He had come this far and the damn Rinnegan was in this world. It had manifested. But the Ten Tails could not be revived without the Rinnegan.

He knew Naruto had it and Obito had failed to obtain it. It was a problem because without Madara, there was no one to take things forward. He could rescue Obito from his death trap. But he would see what happens.

"What are you going to do?"

"Where is my team?"

"They are still in the Fire Country looking for you…" Black Zetsu said. "Don't you want to test your Sharingan against someone capable" He asked with a smile.

 **Iwagakure**

The Hidden Rock: it was his first time stepping into this proud village that nearly crippled Konoha. The last war had not been favourable to the Hidden Leaf. There was no doubt: Iwagakure had dealt much damage to the Leaf. It was no wonder they had been quick to negotiate a peace treaty the moment his father's name brought fear into enemy lines. Iwa only agreed to end the war because of that single man. Why fight a man who could end the lives of 1000 shinobi in a minute?

But there had been some resentment towards the yellow flash. While he was famous in other lands, and hailed in the Hidden Leaf, this village felt nothing but contempt for the man. He had cost them the war. Still, Naruto thought by now they would be over it, it was a war after all. What happens in the war stays there.

The village had a massive military presence and its two Jinchurikis were within the village. It has rebuilt over the past years. It was a pity that he wanted to destroy all that. For peace, it was a necessary step and Naruto would not be afraid to turn this village into chaos.

"Halt!"

"Stop right there!"

Naruto had been walking straight into the village without a care for what the guards wanted. There was a point of entry into any village. He could have tried to sneak in but he was here to be seen, sneaking in would be redundant.

Instead of focusing on the guards, Naruto looked at the unique buildings of the Hidden Stone. Every village's buildings were influenced by the environment that surrounded it. Suna could not have buildings they had in Ame. The heat would be unbearable. Suna and Iwa were a bit alike. Suna may be Wind and this may be rock, but they used earth for their buildings.

Seeing different lands was truly a special thing, wasn't it? You really got to see several beautiful things about other nations and you certainly learned a lot about other people and their behaviour. Naruto has seen many peo-

His thoughts were stopped when a shinobi stepped in front of him to stop him from stepping further into the village. "Who do you think you are?" The man demanded, he had a kunai on his right hand, ready to attack. There were five more shinobi surrounding them. They all had their hands clasped together.

What had he said to Konan? Ah, yes, he would become the new god and she would continue her role as an angel. He was truly going to play the role of a god in this world, wasn't he?

Naruto put on an expressionless look on his face: the Rinnegan slightly visible, but coldness just seeped out of it. When he spoke, his voice was powerful, yet he didn't raise it that high.

"A god of peace…" Naruto said. "Who are you to stand before me like that?" He asked, holding out his right hand. The man leapt backwards as a precaution but his colleagues sneered at Naruto.

"God?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, rated S… former Leaf shinobi. Wanted alive by the Leaf…" another man said reading from a bingo book. "You're also the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash."

Naruto's eyes glanced towards the man who spoke. But that was about the only reaction he gave.

"What do you want?" It was a demand. "We have no reason to do the Hidden Leaf any favours but we won't hesitate to capture you if you are here to cause problems."

"I wish to speak to the Tsuchikage. You don't need to show me the way. Kages always reside in the tallest building in the land…" Naruto said and took a single step forward.

A mud wall burst from the ground. The wall rose high enough in front of him to block his path and his vision of the village. A shinobi jumped atop of the wall and looked down at him coldly.

"Our Tsuchikage has no business with you… so we cannot at you pass…"

Seeing this, Naruto still didn't look up to the man. He just stared straight into the wall for a couple of moments before speaking to the Bijuu inside of him.

'I don't know if this is right or not, but humans don't look down on gods, right? They are supposed to look up and doing contrary is a sign of disrespect.'

Kurama stared trying to figure out if the blond was serious about this. Really, since when did this start? He'd only said he would become the new god and he was actually trying to fit into the role.

"I'm not playing this game with you…" the Bijuu said in a flat tone.

Naruto blinked and shook his head. 'I'm trying to play a character here…' he said. But there was no response from the Bijuu and so he returned his attention to wall in front of him.

If he caused a commotion now and actually got the Tsuchikage out here, he would not listen to him and that wasn't what Naruto was after. He wanted to speak first because blowing up things. That was the message he was trying to drive through after all. If he could not abide by it, could he expect others to abide by it?

Before he could say anything, a powerful presence flashed into sight silently. Naruto's barely opened eyes still didn't look up to the person who was standing atop of the wall.

"What are you doing causing a commotion in this village? Do you have a death wish?" Kurotsuchi demanded.

"Even if I had a death wish, I would not come here because you cannot grant me that wish, Kurotsuchi…" Naruto's voice was calm, yet without emotion.

Those words displeased Kurotsuchi. She wanted to get down and smack the arrogance out of the blond. But what infuriated her more was the fact that although he was talking to her, he refused to look up, their eyes never met. She could tell he wasn't looking at her.

"What makes you think I can't grant that wish?"

"Consider it just my thoughts…" Naruto said calmly.

"Would you like to test that?"

A smile spread through Naruto's lips but he shook his head slightly. "No… not now at least." He held out his right hand but when he straightened it up, another shinobi flashed behind him.

The man wanted to say something to the blond but an iron grip slammed into his face, grabbing it in the blink of an eye. It had happened the second he touched the ground behind Naruto and the blond hadn't even moved his face.

The mud wall suddenly crumbled, causing everyone to be on extra alert. But no one made a move toward the blond. He hadn't moved and still held the shinobi in a tight grip.

Kurotsuchi was now on the ground: she looked at the crumbled jutsu for a moment before speaking. "Wind…" she muttered. She could now see Naruto's strange eyes. He looked tall, and was looking down at her with a smile.

"We can talk now…" Naruto said. He loosened his grip on the man he had caught and raised both his hands. "Are you willing?"

"What do you want?" Kurotsuchi asked with narrowed eyes.

"To speak to both you and your grandfather…" Naruto responded calmly.

Kurotsuchi glared. Naruto's way of talking was pissing her off. And that look on his eyes. Those strange hypnotic eyes.

Naruto's brows furrowed when Kurotsuchi went through hand seals quickly and then slammed her hands into the ground. He knew she was making a move against him but he didn't move. He wanted to see what she had in mind. He could have moved towards her while was still doing hand seals. But he did not. He just stared with interest.

The ground trembled slightly before two earth walls sprouted from the ground on his left and right side. It quickly became two halves of an earth dome. The two halves slammed together. Trapping the blond within.

Within the darkness, Naruto was still for a moment. Trying to process that he had been attacked even though he wanted to avoid that before he got the chance to even say anything to the Tsuchikage.

Naruto didn't look up as a hole opened up above the dome. Kurotsuchi was in position to launch her next attack.

A white mass of lava was spat towards the blond. It went through the hole that had been created above him. The mass of slime lava hit Naruto's body before sliding down. It stuck his feet to the ground.

Kurotsuchi landed on the ground gracefully with a wide grin on her lips. She cancelled her earth jutsu and then spoke. "I'm not stupid enough not to have noticed that you didn't even try to dodge. But I don't really care…" she said drawing out a kunai and took several steps towards the blond.

Once she was close, she pointed the kunai towards Naruto's neck and spoke once more. "What did you say before? Oh, right, you said I couldn't grant your wish. Do you still think so?"

Naruto ignored the rhetorical question and looked at the black haired woman's face. And then spoke his thoughts. "You are very beautiful woman up close…" Naruto said with a smile on his lips. "Do you have a man in your life? If not, can I be the man in your life?"

Although puzzled at first with wide eyes, Kurotsuchi response was pure disgust and a then a swipe of the kunai. She tried to slash it across Naruto's face in anger but the blond caught her hand in an iron grip. He was still smiling when he did so.

"You don't have to look so disgusted like I am a cockroach or a rat…" Naruto said calmly. "You are strong and very perceptive. Well, as expected of the next Tsuchikage."

"Stop blurting nonsense!" Kurotsuchi said harshly.

Naruto blinked and then let go of the black haired woman. She quickly jumped back to make some distance with him. He glanced at the lava on his feet for a second before looking back at Kurotsuchi.

"It's not nonsense. You are a truly beautiful woman and strong…" Naruto said with without a smile.

Kurotsuchi continued to glare. To be honest, this was the first time anyone was saying something like that to her. She was the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, not everyone said everything they had in mind to her. It was something else hearing those words. Yet, it was a bitter feeling that they came out of his mouth.

"What really do you want?"

"I have already told you. As you can see with my actions so far, I wish to talk…" for now at least. There would be something later on. Most likely but he would not see. These people were stubborn and were unlikely to listen to him. He had to force them to listen to his message.

Kurotsuchi sighed. It was going to be a new experience. She looked at the guard who had a bingo book and demanded it. She looked at Naruto's profile and then looked at him with surprise.

"You're the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi?" She asked with surprise.

"You attacked me without even knowing who I am?" Naruto asked with the same surprise as Kurotsuchi. He shook his head. "Unbelievable…"

"There was no need to ask questions when you were making a commotion here…" Kurotsuchi was quick to say. She would not apologize. Not to a rogue shinobi. Not to this person. Not for doing what was best for her village. She would always do everything possible to protect her village.

"No… the guards started a commotion and you attacked me. I haven't moved from my position. I have only asked to speak to you and your grandfather…"

For a second, Kurotsuchi's face flushed with embarrassment. She then folded her hands across her chest and spoke. "If you try anything, I will kill you."

Threats of death: They were very familiar in the Elemental Nations weren't they? And very often people got down trying to execute those threats. It was their world of violence. A world not governed by rules or moral standards but by power. The weak certainly didn't have much say and they always were caught up in the middle when the giants do battle.

Naruto sighed tiredly. Well, this was off to a good start. Everything so far hadn't been out of question. Except for Kurotsuchi attacking him. But now it looked like she was ready to listen and be mature. What was that about anyway? Trying to assert herself as the superior one?

Naruto smiled at the thought. She was confident. That was certain. He had recently met another confident kunoichi, hadn't he? But things hadn't ended up well for her. It was fine to have confidence in your abilities but knowing your limits was also a fundamental factor that could not be ignored.

The blond faced Kurotsuchi and then placed both his hands inside the pockets of his long black coat. "There are many jutsus in this world… yet, only one can make you stronger. It would have been better if strength was determined by the number of jutsus you have…"

Saying that, Naruto absorbed the chakra on the lava holding him down. It came stiff as a rock before shattering into dust. He slowly walked to Kurotsuchi, who kept her guard and hid her surprise over the fact that he got out of her jutsu without breaking a sweat.

"Shall we?" He asked. "If possible, I'd like to walk towards the Tsuchikage tower. Of course with you to keep an eye on me. We can talk along the way. I won't try anything along the way…" he said with a smile.

This person pissed Kurotsuchi off. She was annoyed that he was talking to her so casually. He was a former Leaf shinobi and yet he was here. Being casual. Shrugging off her threat. He wasn't even on guard. He was full of openings. Yet, there was this feeling. It was instincts. It kept her from attacking him.

Kurotsuchi sighed and nodded. Just the two of them –They took the direction of their destination in a slow pace. After a couple of minutes, Kurotsuchi finally spoke. "What are you after?" She demanded?

"You didn't respond to my earlier request. I would really like to be in the company of a beautiful and strong woman such as yourself…" Naruto said, ignoring Kurotsuchi's question.

The black haired Jonin sneered distastefully before responding. "I don't like disloyal shinobi. Your father was a Hokage and yet you have betrayed the Hidden Leaf. For a normal shinobi, it's still a traitorous action but from the son of a former Kage?" she couldn't find the right word for it but it was something she could not stomach.

"By that reasoning… if I was loyal to the Hidden Leaf… you'd like me?"

"No…" it was a flat response that came with a firm shake of the head.

Naruto said nothing: he looked around the village. It looked peaceful. Really peaceful. "I'm not a traitor. Nor am I disloyal. I have the freedom to choose what I want for my life. But if you think the freedom and right to choose what is best for me is treacherous, then yes, you can call me a traitor."

Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes. There was a lot more that was unsaid. She could feel it in her gut. It wasn't that there was something in his voice that made her think so, it was just the intuition of a kunoichi.

She did not say anything to the blond. She merely walked with him in silence. It was curious. It was an interesting sight. She didn't mind the questioning looks from the villagers. She didn't even focus on them. Her mind was wrapped up in trying to figure out the mystery around this person.

The Sandaime Tsuchikage was an old man who looked frail and yet maintained a stern gaze. Naruto just stared at the old man. And he thought the Sandaime Hokage had been old. This was just taking it too far.

"You're still a Kage even looking like that?" He asked. The blond then shook his head. "The shinobi system determines that the strongest become the Kage. But for good leadership and governance, it should be those who have leadership qualities, wisdom and knowledge to become Kages. Power doesn't make wise decisions. It makes violent decisions."

If that was the thought of the Tsuchikage, then Naruto could understand why the old man still wore the hat. Wisdom was necessary to lead. A stupid person given responsibility would likely make reckless decisions without thinking clearly of the consequences. Being a leader wasn't for everyone. It's only those with qualities, regardless of power who could lead properly.

The problem with this world was that shinobi determined the strength of a village by its Kage. If the Kage was stronger, then so was the village. Strength determined everything. That was why the Shodai Hokage even thought of distributing Bijuus to balance the powers of the Hidden Villages.

"A young one that speaks sense…" Onoki said to Naruto but he was looking straight at Kurotsuchi.

The black haired clearly saw that not so subtle dig at her. "You are just old. You need to retire! There is sense there. You're the one irrational…"

Onoki wanted to respond but he was seriously too old for this crap. He turned to Naruto and gave the blond a hardened look. "What do you want? If your answer doesn't please me, I will send you to Konoha in two pieces."

Naruto laughed at the thought. "At your age..? In battle? Impossible. But I can end you here and now so that Kurotsuchi can replace you. You have only grown stubborn with old age."

The moment those words left his mouth, Naruto found himself surrounded by shinobi – five in total. They all had their blades pointing at him. A single wrong move and they would strike.

Onoki was already standing on his desk, looking at him sharply. "I don't take threats to my life, lightly…"

Naruto was unmoved by the blades being pointed at him. He didn't even blink. He didn't even give them a look. His gaze remained on the Sandaime Tsuchikage. "That was just a suggestion. A threat is: resign now or I kill you." The blond said in a careless tone.

The killing intent that was directed towards him by the shinobi surrounding him finally reached him. He hadn't realized it before. He could finally feel it. Just barely, but it was there. Yet, pitiful.

Could these shinobi stand his killing intent? No. They were just children when it came to their intent. He was standing leaps above them. Yet, he did not feel need to go and release his intent. He has so far been civil and hasn't done anything to say he was looking for a fight. These people were just being overly sensitive.

"Is this what you came here for? To threaten me?" Onoki asked with narrowed eyes. He was still a bit surprised by the lack of response from Naruto with regards to the shinobi surrounding him. The blond hadn't blinked or even twitched. He was acting as if nothing happened at all.

Naruto shook his head. "I haven't threatened you. You interpreted my words in the wrong way and I was trying to correct you. This is all a bit dramatic…" the blond said with indifference. There was no emotion in his voice or his narrowed look.

Onoki stared for a couple of moments before motioning for his shinobi to stand down. He returned to his seat and then spoke. "Why did you bring him to me?" He asked of his granddaughter.

"He said he wanted to speak to us…" Kurotsuchi said with a shrug. "If you don't want to talk to him, we can still get rid of him." She offered with a smile.

"He is a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi and the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash…" Onoki said in a calm tone before turning to face the blond. "I doubt you want to join us. Since you are a rogue nin, you could become our enemy. But I did hear that you were fighting against the Akatsuki. Either way, if I end up viewing you as an enemy, you won't leave this village."

"I guess I better run now…" Naruto said but he did not run. He simply walked over to a window, with his hands still on his pockets. He could feel the intense gazes, and the chakra being readied. Yet, he did not respond to any of it. He stopped his movements at next to the wall and looked down at the streets.

Kurotsuchi walked over to him. She stood on his right side, watching him suspiciously.

"If I'm planning to attack, I will tell you…" he said to the black haired woman. "I abandoned the Hidden Leaf in the pursuit of justice and peace. I thought of punishing the great nations for their actions in the past wars but this would lead just more contempt than good. And so, I thought of another method.

"The current balance of power is based on the distribution of Bijuus and turning Jinchurikis into weapons. The first step is ending that. No village owns a Bijuu. And no village will have a Jinchuriki. At least for now. I want to take away all the Bijuus and give them their freedom. Of course this action will put me at odds with the great nations but it is necessary. The great five nations need to learn to cooperate with each other. Without cooperation and one goal of keeping peace, wars will always break out over simple things. We also need to foster trust between nations. Without this trust and a sense of friendship, nations will easily betray each other."

There was silence that followed those words and when Naruto turned around, he saw the Tsuchikage floating in mid-air, hands together.

"Basically, you want to attack my village's security…"

Naruto shook his head. "Basically, I want to take what was never yours to begin with. And force the Elemental Nations to seek a new path of creating stability to create a peaceful environment."

"It doesn't make a difference…" Onoki said firmly. "We will kill you and take the Bijuu within you. This should make our village stronger than others."

"This is a warning: release the Bijuus to roam free or I will it do it for you…" Naruto said in a calm tone.

Onoki had nothing more to say. He simply released his jutsu in a flash. " **Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!"** The jutsu flashed towards Naruto in blinding speed. The blond's right hand sped out of his pocket and the palm of his hand faced the jutsu. He absorbed it while Onoki watched along with his granddaughter and subordinates.

"I don't have the intention to cause any destruction at the moment. I still want to give you time to think without holding you hostage." Naruto said in a calm tone. The moment those words left his lips, twisting winds surrounded his body like a small gentle tornado and then he was gone in the blink of an eye.

"After him!"

About two minutes later

Persistent bunch, Naruto thought as he stopped just outside of Iwagakure. He was standing atop of a large boulder. Kurotsuchi and five shinobi had followed him.

"I should have known you'd try to follow me…" Naruto said with a shake of his head.

"Well, you threatened Iwa… we simply can't let you live…" the black haired woman said. "You have shown restraint in not taking any action despite threatening us…"

Naruto shrugged indifferently. "It was preferable not to do anything within your village and not fight today." The blond said. "I still prefer it we don't…" Naruto said taking his hands out of his pockets. He swiped his right hand in the air once and small gusts of winds started to pick up. Twisting winds formed, creating a powerful tornado that had the power to pull the surrounding rocks towards it before starting a rampage around the rocks. Kurotsuchi and her men were forced to jump away from the powerful force of wind that was even pulling them onto it.

Naruto snapped his fingers and the rising tornado dispersed in the blink of an eye. Everything that it had picked up fell. And the winds calmed.

"Show off …" Kurotsuchi mutter silently as she prepared to attack. She motioned for the man around her to charge towards the blond.

The five disappeared from her sight and surrounded Naruto. They then lunged towards the blond in all directions, cutting off any attempt to escape.

Seeing them, Naruto held out both his hands, and when they reached closer, he released his jutsu. They were blasted away from the blond by a powerful **Shinra Tensei** that had been concentrated on them. There was so much force on the jutsu that the boulder he was standing on shattered within seconds.

Naruto landed on the ground gracefully and looked at Kurotsuchi.

"There will be a day to fight… I still want you to think about what I have said. Attacking me will not solve anything. And I cannot afford to kill your men when you have not been given the time to think deeply about things." Naruto said.

"Do you think I will just let you leave?" Kurotsuchi asked. Her men had been thrown quite the distance and didn't look as if they were going to get up anytime soon. Yet, she was still confident.

Naruto walked towards the black haired woman. His gaze was intense. The aura coming off him was overwhelming. The chakra she was sensing made her senses go haywire. The sharp and focused intent from him made her mind scream that she run away but her body failed to move. Each step he took was like a giant leap that even shook the ground she stood on.

He arrived close to her and stopped just inches away from her. He placed his right hand on her right cheek. She couldn't feel anything. "You are the future of Iwagakure. You need to think. Next time I come, I will speak to you some more. You need to understand that this peace will not last. And it is because the five Kages have no relationship. If we treat other villages as enemies, we cannot be at peace. But if the great nations were united, there would be lasting peace. Konoha would come to the Earth without fears. Everyone is busy being selfish.

"You probably don't even care about what is happening in the outside. You don't care if Konoha invades Suna or another village. You'd only care if you profit from it or if you feel the action threatens you. Without that understanding and friendship, you won't care. You don't care because they mean nothing to you. Iwa is everything.

"If this world cannot change. If you people cannot understand simple things. I won't have a problem uniting the Elemental Nations by ruling over all of them."

That said, Naruto removed his hand from Kurotsuchi and then just disappeared.

 **End of chapter**

 **I think I responded to most reviews. To those I didn't, thank you for the comments.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Sunagakure

Gaara wasn't expecting Naruto's presence. Not when he had once again disappeared off the face of the Elemental Nations. He hadn't heard from Konoha that the blond had returned. Or maybe the Leaf didn't know. The last time the blond had vanished, he returned a new person. Still, it was something that the blond could just disappear from such a big world as this. Naruto wasn't exactly a silent person who one could not notice. And yet, he has been able to hide from everyone.

The Godaime Kazekage stared at the blond for a couple of moments. It was official: Naruto had returned different once more. It wasn't more of his physical appearance. He still had the same height, his hair was still long but there was a one difference that was small yet massive – his eyes. Not only that, Naruto gave off an oppressive aura about him.

He looked more powerful than he had been before. The thought really made Gaara frown.

Naruto settled down gracefully and faced Gaara. The Kazekage was in deep thought. Then again, there was something to question. Naruto was certain when he does leave here, there would be a situation that would lead the man to stop smiling before him. His mission wasn't necessarily, going to settle all nations. Certainly, a nation like Suna would be weakened massively by losing its Jinchuriki. But there was no way about it. It had to be done. Regardless.

"Temari had said you'd come to spar with her…" Gaara said after a few moments of silence. "She has been waiting…"

Well, that would be his mission at first before dropping the bomb. It was best to start with the good news. If he started with his mission, he was unlikely to even have that sparring session with the wind user of Sunagakure. It would be a pity.

But nothing was certain. Maybe Gaara would understand things. He wasn't just hopeful of anything.

"I got side tracked by a couple of things…" Naruto said in calm tone "and I had to go away for a while."

Jiraiya's death, dealing with Pein. It was something that had proven a little problematic. The death of the Sannin had been sad. Truly sad. The man had been family and honestly, the thought that he has been killed by a former student had been a little infuriating. Naruto had still not let those thoughts cloud his judgement. He hadn't overreacted. He had been on a campaign against the Akatsuki.

Going to Amegakure instead of coming here had proved to be a blessing. He ended up getting a very powerful doujutsu and got the Kyubi to teach him many things about it.

"I heard about Jiraiya… I also heard he was very close to me you…" Gaara said watching Naruto carefully.

Naruto smiled. It was a sad smile. He had cared for the Sannin as the man had cared for him. He had not had not shed tears and he would not. No matter what. For his mission, he would have to be strong not just physically but also mentally. Things could have ended in the same way if Jiraiya was standing in the way. If it had happened like that, Naruto was sure he would beat himself up for it. The misery would cloud over him for the rest of his life.

"He was…" Naruto said calmly. He did not say anything else and Gaara did not ask further questions. The Kazekage changed the subject.

"I'm curious…" he said without stating the obvious.

Naruto smiled. He had no doubt the red head was talking about the Rinnegan. But Naruto wasn't going to give many details regarding the doujutsu. Although he didn't wish for it to happen, he could still end up as being an enemy of Sunagakure. It was best to keep certain things to himself.

"Jiraiya would often say that these eyes… the Rinnegan are a symbol of peace. But it is also a symbol of destruction. One who wields them is capable of both creation and destruction. There is the firepower to cause massive destruction and the life energy to create life…" Naruto said. It wasn't what Gaara was looking for but it was a response that would surely get him thinking.

The Godaime Kazekage stared at Naruto for a couple of moments before asking. "What do you choose? I don't know anything about the Rinnegan but I choose to believe your words…"

Naruto smiled. He didn't offer an immediate response. He exchanged a staring contest with the Kage for a couple of moments before responding. "Both… I want to create. The power within me certainly has that life energy…"

Gaara tilted his head slightly. Naruto said power within him. He was mostly likely not talking about the Rinnegan. Could he be talking about the Kyubi? The blond hasn't been known for using the Bijuus power. The Bijuu itself was infamous for destruction. There was nothing in the manuals that said the Kyubi could create. As a Jinchuriki he understood that Bijuus were more than just masses of chakra but he could not understand if Naruto was referring to the Bijuu sealed within him.

"But?"

"I will end up destroying…" Naruto said calmly. "Well, in order to build a new house, you need to destroy the old one. If the old house' foundations are firm, they can still be used, if not they must be removed…" the blond paused for a moment and shook his head. "I was hoping to get on that sparring session with Temari. I came here as part of my mission but I'd like to see a couple of things first before I get to that."

Gaara was almost certain he wasn't going to like what Naruto was going to say to him later on. There was no reason to even hold out on stating what he wanted to say regarding his mission. But Gaara did not argue with the blond.

The Kazekage nodded. But he didn't get to what Naruto wanted to talk about. "What of the Akatsuki?" He asked.

The organization was a matter of concern. They had gone after him and nearly succeeded in getting what they wanted with him.

"No longer a problem."

There was still Itachi and Kisame. But Naruto couldn't tell how things ended up with former. It didn't make much difference to him if Sasuke lost in the battle with Itachi. Whatever happened, if the winner tried to stand in the way of his plans, he would not give them a happy time.

No one was going to stand in the way. He was going to do this. He had already started with his dream.

"The leader was dealt with… so Jinchurikis no longer have to fear for their lives…" Naruto said. Well, he would be a problem soon when he does go after them. But he wasn't going to end their lives. He only wanted to free the Bijuus within them.

Gaara managed a small smile upon hearing this. This was at least some good news he could live with. No Akatsuki meant there was no problem he had to worry about. He wasn't looking to making enemies with Naruto, so he was at ease.

"Temari is at home…" Gaara started. "I can get someone to call her."

Naruto appeared to think for a couple of moments before speaking. "I want to see her outside of the village. I don't want to cause a scene in your training grounds."

There would be no limits outside and although he would put some limits on himself so no to end up killing Temari, he would still be utilizing the element he manipulated naturally. Well, the Rinnegan gave him greater degree of control over the five basic elements, but wind was still his comfort zone.

Gaara nodded to this. "My sister says you are strong… very strong. Would you have a problem if I joined?"

When was the last time he was pushed? The Akatsuki aside, he hasn't had a great deal of battles. Gaara didn't want the situation to repeat itself – him getting captured. He had made some improvements in his jutsu and he wanted to test it against someone who could supposedly take it in without any problem.

Naruto smiled. "Not at all," he said happily. "It will make things a little interesting if it is that way. Siblings versus me… I like the idea…" he hadn't thought of this. And it would be a good way to judge, Suna's strength.

Gaara nodded and then stood up. "I will send for Temari…" he said walking away from his desk.

 **A couple of minutes later**

Temari found Naruto standing motionlessly outside of Suna's walls. He had his face looking up into the sun. Her brother was standing a distance away. Baki was watching with a couple of shinobi from a distance. There was no fight, but they were observing everything. It looked as if her brother was ready to do battle with Naruto.

She almost screamed it wasn't fair because Naruto had said he would come for her. But she did not. The blonde walked toward her brother in a slow manner and stood next to him. She did not speak to him but to the blond Uzumaki standing a distance away from them.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

"Somewhere safe…" Naruto said. "I had to go away on a training timeout… There was a new boost in power I was gifted. I thought it best to disappear for a while…"

Temari nodded silently. Naruto had responded without looking at her but she did not mind it. She turned to her brother and asked.

"You are joining…" Well, stated rather.

Gaara nodded. "I suggested it…"

Temari glanced toward Naruto for a moment before adopting a thoughtful look on her face. "Well, from what I saw last time, it's not a bad idea." She said. "Don't take us lightly…" she said to Naruto.

It would be a good opportunity to train. Nothing gave you a stern test than going against someone strong enough to push you to your limits. Knowing the limit was also important as you would know when you are dealing with an opponent you cannot win against. Nothing was more fatal than overstating yourself.

Naruto thought of unsheathing the sword on his back but decided against it. He didn't want to kill the two. Besides, he wanted to fool around with wind jutsus. He would use any other element he chose if it was convenient.

Naruto held his hands together. "Futon: Sand Storm…" the blond inhaled large amounts of air before exhaling. The powerful force of wind he released was merely to form a basis for the jutsu. He hadn't done it before, he just thought of taking advantage of the sand around him.

Gaara watched as winds picked up along with sand. The winds began to violently hit through the terrain with much force that the sand was being expelled in different directions. He could no longer even see the blond when the sand rose so high that it started moving towards him and Temari like one huge wave.

If it was just sand, Gaara would have tried to diffuse it but there were powerful gusts of wind within the sand storm, so he couldn't think of a proper jutsu to counter.

The Kazekage controlled his sand and created a dome around him and Temari. The dome was hard as a rock and covered them perfectly.

"Doesn't this leave us blind of his movements?" Temari asked. She was shielding her eyes as she felt something slam into the dome. Dust fell on them as if the done was breaking apart but it did not. It held firmly.

"He hasn't moved…" Gaara said. He closes his eyes, trying to feel the atmosphere outside. He held out his right hand to break away the dome.

Naruto was floating above the dome when it opened at the top. He had a tornado violently twisting on his right side. The moment Gaara opened his dome; he hurled the tornado straight into the hole that had opened up. The tornado wasn't stopped. It burst through and slammed into both Temari and Gaara. The jutsu had enough force to slam the two through the crumbling dome. They were sent into the air, flipping backwards.

The siblings managed to regain their balance quickly and both landed gracefully on the ground. Temari landed on Gaara's right hand, both her hands holding firm onto the fan.

" **Daikamataichi no Jutsu!"** Temari's fan flashed opened as she swung it. The air currents blasted off the fan, causing havoc on the ground as the powerful jutsu rushed towards Naruto – who was standing still.

Seeing the jutsu, Naruto held his hands together. He knew the jutsu would do him no favours if he allowed it to hit him. " **Earth Style: Mud wall!"** A shield of earth sprouted off the ground to stand in the path of Temari's jutsu.

Naruto tried to jump back to prepare for his next jutsu having known that the earth jutsu would not hold. But he didn't get to jump as sand quickly wrapped around his legs, keeping him grounded.

Temari's jutsu sliced through the mud wall in a second. Watching it come towards him, Naruto shook his head and slowly held out both his hands.

" **Shinra Tensei** …" what happened next was an insane explosion. The sand around the blond was blasted away and off into the air along with Temari's jutsu. The sand siblings had to even run for cover when a large dome of sand picked up into the air, surrounding Naruto's body. The sand was so high up, even a Bijuu would have to jump high to get over it.

The sand didn't immediately settle down. It took a couple of moments for everything to calm. When it did, Naruto was standing inside a large crater.

"What the hell was that?" Temari asked, a bit wide eyed.

 **30 Minutes Later**

Gaara's House

When was the last time he was actually invited to someone's house? Not in the Hidden Leaf. Not anywhere. The little experiences certainly weighed more into ones life. The past life ad been blessed with bitter experiences but now it was easy to make friends. It was easy to familiarize himself with other people. It was easy. Everything looked as if it came easily. But it was not.

He made it possible by making an effort. Of course, other people had to reciprocate the feeling.

Naruto looked around the house with a warm smile on his lips. He was truly happy to be here. He had wished his life had been gifted with experiences such as this in the past life. It was bitter knowing that he would soon see himself being hated once more. Well, at least this time around, it would be for his own actions not something he didn't have control over.

So it was okay.

Temari turned around and looked at the blond with a raised eye brow. "Are you missing something?" She asked. Well, with the tone of her voice, it sounded as if she was demanding.

Naruto's eyes met with Temari's before he responded – his head tilted to the side. "It's perhaps a little thing to you but this is the first time I have been invited to someone's house. I had friends in Konoha but we were never close enough for me to be invited to their homes…"

Temari stared: it was a little sad. But she had never experienced that herself. The younger days were horrible. Treacherous. She was the Kazekage's daughter and a brother to the blood thirsty killer that was her younger brother. It hadn't been easy. But things changed. Not because her father died. Not because she did anything to change it.

But because of his person in front of her.

He changed Gaara. Perhaps in those days, Temari had never gave it much thought. She was older now. She was mature. She understood things differently. She knew that Gaara had changed because of Naruto.

Temari shook her head – clearing her thoughts. She didn't respond to Naruto's statement. She led him towards the sitting room. She sat across him on a couch and stared at him for a long minute, trying to figure out what he was thinking but she could not.

She sighed. "You look happy though… considering everything…"

"You mean being a missing-nin, hunted, Jiraiya's death… and my past…" Naruto said. "Well, I'd always been happy or perhaps trying too much to be happy. You know, being sad and lonely makes you stand out when you desire to be with other people…" he said those words with indifference.

"You did have friends in Konoha and they did care about you…" Temari paused. She stared for a moment before correcting herself. "Well, they still do…"

"I know…" Naruto said. He didn't say anything further about it. "So, Temari… any marriage plans?"

Temari blinked. Caught of guard by the question, she merely stared at her fellow blonde without any word escaping her lips.

"I was certain that one was going to happen with a certain Nara… both liked each other but for some reasons, here we are…" Kankuro said as he walked into the room with Gaara beside him.

The two settled down under an intense glare from Temari. Kankuro looked nervous but Gaara had no response to it – his expression was just flat.

"Are you interested?" Gaara asked Naruto.

It was Naruto's time to blink in surprise. It came out unexpectedly. Of all things the Kazekage could ask him, he asked that? Naruto shook his head and glanced at Temari.

The blonde glared at him. "Don't even think about it." She warned in a hardened tone.

Naruto chuckled lightly and did not say anything to respond to Gaara's question. "Love is beautiful. Or at least I hope so. I have never experienced it mutually. But I know from one side, it's a beautiful feeling. We are humans, we love, we live, and we die."

"Is that your mission? To spread love?" Temari asked with a look on her eyes.

Once more, Naruto laughed before shaking his head. "You are actually good people. I wish I had a good family as this. I wish I had a family. I can make one. Anyway, I truly hope that I am able to maintain a good relationship with you even with everything I will potentially do…"

Gaara's eyes turned sharp. He had feared that things would take this kind of a twist. Naruto was saying that because he could make a decision that would see him being resented in the Elemental Nations. And perhaps even by them. Gaara was still curious about what that would be. The blond had said a couple of things, but he hadn't been specific.

"Can't you do things in a way that will not get you to fight us?" Temari was the first speak. "You are sitting with us because you like us. We don't have any problem with you and if possible, we'd like to continue with the friendship."

Temari was hoping for a good response. She didn't know what Konoha would think about this, but it was not a time to be thinking about the Hidden Leaf. This was about her family and Sunagakure. Gaara had already said he would not betray Naruto for Konoha and she wasn't going to do it either.

She didn't think that Naruto would go on to attack Konoha. If he wanted to do that, if his goal was revenge or simply destruction, he would have attacked the Leaf long ago. He hasn't because there was more to his departure from the village and his actions thereafter.

"I agree with Temari…" Gaara said. Kankuro said nothing. He just watched with a careful eye. "We can work something out. Not only did you change my life but you also saved me from the Akatsuki… I don't know if I can fight you…"

Naruto smiled. It was a bitter smile. "Things change in the blink of an eye. If I become responsible for Temari's death, or seriously harming her, you would try to snap my neck without thinking twice… I have saved you twice. The first was simply because it was who I was. It was in my nature to do so. The second time was because I didn't want to see you die and I didn't want the Akatsuki get a Jinchuriki.

"I have saved you, but you mustn't let that stop you from doing what is best even if you have to fight me. I think what I am doing is best, but you might think its wrong. Ideals will fight. That happens."

Gaara shook his head. "What if I don't disagree with your plan?" He asked. "I have a duty to the Hidden Sand and it's people. But I also have my moral principles that I cannot forsake."

At hearing that, Naruto smiled. "I know that… well, you are a rational person. Perhaps the world would be better if people were willing to uphold the moral standards instead of abiding by shinobi rules…" Naruto said in a calm tone.

"Are you going to tell us then?"

"I did consider that you might not come to hate me. But there is the chance that you will. I have no intention to cause this village any harm. Or even fight you…" Naruto said. "I was at Iwagakure. I'm sure they will be hunting me down. Onoki has probably sent a message to Konoha demanding action…"

It was likely. He didn't know how Tsunade would respond to it but he would not give it much thought. Tsunade's response wouldn't change anything. He would still go after Iwa's Jinchuriki for the first step. Onoki could try to hide them or even try to fight him, but he would end up doing what he wanted. There was no one who would stop him.

Kumogakure was certainly going to be a problem. If Onoki informs the Raikage, his visit to the Cloud would certainly be one with chaos. He would not shy away from it nevertheless.

"What did you do?"

Naruto looked between Gaara and Temari. Only they appeared interested in engaging him in the conversation – Kankuro looked content with just listening. He was perhaps the one who would be first to lunging at him if things got to that point.

"I am going to free all Bijuus. Gaara, you are a Jinchuriki, so you know that they are more than just masses of chakra. Freeing them all will destabilize things and the great powers will certainly try to capture them once more but I will not allow them. I will hide them if I have to.

"Without Jinchurikis, I wonder what kind of world we will see. Will it be a race to create the best weapons in terms of technology or will the Kages try to form balance by sitting together. They'll probably sit to say I am a threat and must be eliminated. If it goes that far, stage two of the plan will have to be enacted…"

There was silence. Complete silence when Naruto said those words. All eyes were on him but no one jumped on him and no one looked as if they wanted to attack him.

"Are you going to the Bijuu inside of Gaara as well?"

"Naturally…" Naruto said.

"I can't let that happen. I know the Bijuus desire to be free. We are all brought in this unfortunate situation by people who wanted more power but I will not give my life away…" Gaara said in a firm tone.

Temari nodded to this. "My brother still has much to do in this world. I don't even know what I'd do without him…" she sounded bitter. "Are you going to force the issue? If so, we will fight you. Suna will fight you."

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Who said Gaara was going to die?" He asked. When they all blinked, he smiled. "You assume to far ahead…" he added.

"Wait…" Temari said. She nearly stood on her feet. "If you are going to remove the Bijuu from him, Gaara will die. Even though I am not familiar with seals, I know that much…"

"Do you have a method that doesn't guarantee death?" Gaara asked cautiously.

Naruto shook his head. "There is no such method… you will actually die…" he said but quickly raised his right hand. "But I will revive you. I can just kill you and the Bijuu within you will resurrect in due time. The one inside of you is a little crazy, so I have to prepare myself to stop it in case it attempts a rampage.

"You'll have to trust me. I don't want to use force, so I'd prefer it if you trust me. If you are concerned about being weakened, I have no problem in helping you train or protecting Sunagakure if there is a need…" Naruto explained lightly.

There was too much to think about it. "What is stage two? Although Konoha doesn't have a Jinchuriki anymore, if you do that to Iwa and Kumo, they will declare war on you…"

"You will know eventually…" Naruto said without emotion. He then stood up. "Think about what I have said. I will return. Your answer will determine things… If we are still in good terms, we will talk about trade."

"Trade?"

Naruto just smiled and disappeared from the sight of the Sand Siblings.

Gaara was a little relieved that things were not that bad. He could see Naruto's side of things. He too wanted peace but he knew that nations as Kumo and Iwagakure would put up a fight. It was no wonder he said the Tsuchikage would be speaking to the Hokage. Kumo and Iwa both had two Jinchurikis, a loss of those two would put a dent on their military strength.

They would fight Naruto to death. It was perhaps good that Naruto didn't look like he wanted to shed unnecessary blood. But it was certain that if he was pushed, Naruto would do it.

If it went to that point and Suna was a known ally of the blond, he would be targeted. Should Konoha refuse to help, it would lead to tensions between the Great Five Nations. Nothing good would come out of it. Gaara would not fight any war. Not against Naruto or even against Iwa. If the great powers wanted to target them, they would have to deal with Naruto. But could he handle it?

"You're not really thinking about it, are you?" Kankuro said, looking between both Temari and Gaara. "We should be grateful for everything, but we can't let him dictate things for us."

"Nobody is going to dictate things for us. I will take decisions I feel will benefit Sunagakure as its Kazekage…" Gaara said. "That being said, Temari, you head to Konoha and see what they say about this. If the Tsuchikage did take Naruto seriously, he would have sent the Hokage a letter. You will find out Konoha's position in this…"

"Are going to look for Konoha's approval?" Temari asked.

Gaara shook his head. "Konoha is our ally. We have rebuilt our economy and gained new allies but the Leaf remains our biggest ally. If we lose that, we will be affected negatively. When thinking about this, we must consider all things."

 **A Day Later**

 **River Country**

Naruto sitting under a tree in a meditative position, His form was before the nine tailed Bijuu sealed within him.

'We know that the two leaders of the Akatsuki had different purposes for trying to gather the Bijuus. But I have still not figured out why. Nagato wanted to create his weapon but given everything, he said, it is safe to believe that he was deceived into trying to gather the Bijuus.

'But what happens when you seal all the Bijuus in the Gedo Mazo? You have not been forthcoming in telling more information about the statue even though you were willing to tell me about the Rinnegan.'

Kurama stared at the human before him a long minute before closing his eyes. Was this going to be another interrogation from the blond? He didn't have the patience for it.

There was the danger that if he told Naruto about the ten tails, the blond would try to form revive the Jubi once more. Naruto's dream required power and the Jubi could give him enough power to enslave all humans in this world.

'When am I going to get my freedom? You are going to free others but I won't be freed…'

'You know I can't free you without dying…' Naruto said calmly. 'Part of the reason I am asking you about the statue. Because I am attuned to natural energy, certain things I can sense. The Gedo Mazo has a tremendous life force. So much than what you can give. Its also eternal. If I connect myself into it… and seal it within me, I will share its life force and perhaps it's power. I could then release you. But I don't know more about it to simply just go on ahead to do what I think.'

Kurama opened his eyes. 'You want to live for all eternity?'

Naruto shrugged. 'Are you going to speak?'

'You'd be creating the same problem. If you seal the statue inside of you, you'll remain a Jinchuriki and you can never be free from it. If you want to remove it, you'll die…' Kurama said.

'But you'll be free to do whatever you want. You won't have to see my face every time. Humans desire freedom. We want to be free to do what we want. Bijuus don't have that because we humans we see you as nothing more than weapons we can use for war. I want to change that. I have spent my entire being close to you. I admit that it will not be the same without you, but I promised to give you your freedom, and I will do so.

'I don't know how the other Bijuus will react to being forced out of their Jinchurikis, but I plan to speak to them. If they like their Jinchurikis, we will make a way for them to keep contact. Perhaps a contract. Either way, they will have their freedom.

'Once this has happened, we can focus on trying handle things in Elemental Nations. I would not have a problem if war arose around that time. Bijuus will not be used and I will protect then against anyone who may try. Humans will fight human war without Bijuus. Perhaps in due time, people will start trusting them and you will trust them.' Naruto paused and stared at the Bijuu for a long minute before speaking once more. 'Will you tell me?'

If Kurama said things would be normal without this person, he would be lying. Naruto was something else. He was going to gather the Bijuus, not for himself, not to use them, but to free them. Kurama knew, there was no other reason for the actions. Naruto wasn't speaking lies. The blond wasn't planning to seal them all up and use them for his own ideals. He just wanted to free them.

'The Gedo Mazo is merely husk for something terrifying. Sealing all the Bijuus into the husk revives this beast. I assume they wanted to do it. But it cannot be revived. It must never be revived. The beast has enough power to end mankind.'

Naruto looked thoughtful. 'Explain in detail. Please keep in mind that I will not change my plans because of this. I'm not that power hungry. If this threatens peace, then I will what is necessary to stop it.'

Kurama was silent for a moment before going on to explain about the Sage of Six Paths and the Jubi.

'We will talk about this after I have freed all the Bijuus. But I will end up sealing the Gedo Mazo inside of me. Since the Rinnegan is the Key, I have to make sure that I keep my body away from people even if I play dead. Both the Rinnegan and the Gedo Mazo will remain sealed in my body for all eternity…'

Naruto walked away from the Kyubi after those words. For now, he had a mission to Kirigakure and then he would have to return to Amegakure.

Since he would be going to see and wasn't sure where exactly Kiri was located, Naruto felt it was best to take an aerial view of things by flying over to the Hidden Mist.

 **Konohagakure**

Tsunade placed the scroll from the Hidden Stone on her desk and leaned back her chair with a heavy sigh. This just got better. Everything was silent. She knew Naruto was still lurking. But he wasn't making noise. So it suited her. She wouldn't have even minded him being out there if he didn't make noise.

But this letter from Onoki changed everything. He was making a move. Tsunade wanted to quit her job and allow someone to take over. She'd thought Naruto would replace her but it wasn't going to happen. If he came back now, it would simply be risking war with the Stone. Naruto had pissed off Onoki. That stubborn old man wasn't going to let it go, especially when it occurred in his village.

But of course, Tsunade wasn't going to do anything. Naruto was no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. What he did out there was no longer her problem. It was perhaps cold, but if Iwa had a problem with the blond, they could handle it themselves. She would not take part in it.

Shikaku walked into the office along with Kakashi. The former was the Jonin commander and possessed a very sharp mind. His presence at this time was necessary. Kakashi was perhaps the Leaf's light at this stage. Without Jiraiya, the man had to step up.

"I called both of you because I received a message from Iwagakure. Naruto was there a couple of days ago and demanded Onoki frees the Bijuus. He doesn't want any village possessing a Bijuu. Onoki says he threatened him and said he will use force if his demands are not met…" The slug princess said in a very calm tone. "I assume Iwa is just the start and he is going to every village that has a Jinchuriki."

Shikaku sat down before offering his response. This was just going to be a mess. "Assuming that he does succeed, what does he want to do with the Bijuus?"

"I don't know but Konoha isn't affected by this. But if it does become a bigger incident, we will have Kumo and Iwa looking over our shoulders and refusing to help will probably see animosity between the villages…" Tsunade thought it was rather ironic that someone who wanted peace was taking actions that would lead to conflicts. There was peace now but Naruto's actions were going to destroy that.

"What do you think, Kakashi?" Shikaku asked the Jonin.

It was going to happen. Naruto was strong. But was he strong enough to fight an entire village? Well, the fact that he had gone and left Iwa without harm proved he was strong. What was Naruto thinking though? This was just going to cause them more problems.

Kakashi didn't know why the blond would want to free the Bijuus. From the way Tsunade put it, it didn't sound as if the blond was concerned about the Jinchurikis but the Bijuus. One would be quick to think that the blond was being manipulated by the Kyubi. A more paranoid mind would even go further to suggest that it is so that the Bijuus can get their revenge on humans for the years of imprisonment.

"If Naruto wants to stop the fate of Jinchurikis, I can understand. We all know how his life went…" Kakashi said. "But if he does that, the great nations will simply enter into a race to recapture the Bijuus once more…"

If such a scenario occurs then a war would start soon with the spoils being the Bijuus. Thinking of things this way, it seemed like Naruto's motive wasn't peace but simply chaos.

"There is no peace in this. I don't think he is naïve enough not to have thought about the outcome of his actions…" Tsunade said.

"Well, if he is going through the trouble of freeing the Bijuus, do you think he is going to sit back and allow them to be captured again?" Shikaku asked calmly. "I don't think so. He will fight to death and perhaps might even use the Bijuus' very power to destroy anyone trying to capture the Bijuus. What is Konoha planning to do about this?"

"Konoha will defend itself but Naruto is no longer a shinobi of this village. What he does isn't our responsibility…" Tsunade said in a hardened tone. "Shikaku, I want you to set up a war room and consider how this approach will affect the leaf. I also want you to handle our diplomatic relations. To say we are not working with Naruto will not be good enough, I will share a couple things I know about him.

"Kakashi, I want you to head to a place called 'The Emperor's Palace' According to Jiraiya's Intel, it is Naruto's spot and he frequents there. You can apparently attain any information you want. Get every information you can get about Naruto and also try to find out what you can about Iwa's movements."

"Hai, Hokage-sama…" Kakashi said.

"Do you think he can find anything about the Stone and Naruto?"

"Jiraiya said the place operates under certain rules. It's a neutral ground that is warded with barriers that make even the strongest shinobi become an unarmed civilian. People sell and buy information. They sell it to anyone who is willing to pay for it…"

Such a place. It was dangerous. This just meant that secrets of the villages would be available there and as long as you have the price, you could get it.

"If Iwa turns on the heat along with Kumo, will we change our position?"

"If it avoids war, yes…"

Shikaku nodded. "But you also do understand that Naruto is not normal. He has been coming and going in this village. He did the same in Iwa. He spoke to the Tsuchikage and then walked away. You understand that isn't normal, right?"

Tsunade frowned deeply. "I understand that. That is why Konoha will no longer be trying to capture unless he threatens us."

 **Later that day**

Shikamaru wouldn't ask because it was all just troublesome but Ino appeared happy for some reason. The last time she had been close to this shine was when she said she was in love. Of course that had been for a week. She has tried relationships. Not that Shikamaru pried, but he hasn't heard of anything going on in that department for the Yamanaka. Yet, she appeared happy.

There was something happening in her life and she wasn't sharing it with anyone. But if it was a relationship, it couldn't be helped. Even Chouji had a girlfriend: He would probably marry in a year. What about him? Shikamaru shook his head. His situation was just a pain in the butt. Such a drag, but what could he do about it?

"Have you noticed that we don't do many missions these days?" Chouji said as he shoved meat down his throat.

"It's relatively quiet but other teams are being given missions…" Shikamaru said. His last big mission had been in the one he encountered Naruto. Since then, it has been small missions. Shikamaru wasn't complaining. Not even when the missions would take him away from home. Doing dangerous things was overrated and tiresome. He would rather spend his time in the village.

"I doubt you are complaining about it, Shikamaru…" Ino stated with a pointed look.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Why ruin this peace?"

"It's not going to last forever. We will probably be doing more missions in the next weeks. From what my father told me earlier, things are about to get dangerous…" she was saying that and her father had painted a grim picture but Ino wasn't that worried. If it was Naruto, she wasn't worried about him. He was a big boy.

Shikamaru sighed. He'd hoped Ino wouldn't bring it up. But he should have known. Even his father had talked to him about it because it involved Naruto – their former friend.

"It increasingly looks like Naruto will not return to the Hidden Leaf…" Shikamaru said in a slow tone. "I wonder if Sakura will accept that…"

"She has to do it…" Ino said in a firm tone. "She can't have it her way. Naruto isn't going to come back. And with what father said, it will be difficult for him."

"Why didn't we gather the others?"

Ino shrugged. "Sakura is hopeless… Kiba has some unresolved issues with Naruto. Team Gai hardly offers any input…" she said. "Are we going to be forced to fight Naruto, Shikamaru?"

Ino wasn't worried about Naruto but she didn't want to end up fighting him. That was her biggest worry. She didn't know if she could even manage to do it.

"We might have to…" Shikamaru said. "Will you have a problem? We have already done it before…"

"It wasn't to harm him then but to bring him back…"

"Since when have you been this concerned about Naruto, Ino?" Chouji asked, eyeing the blonde carefully.

Ino stared for a couple of seconds before shrugging. "Since he became my friend…" she said. "That isn't the reason I called you here: I want to catch up. Chouji, I hear you might be getting married soon…" The Yamanaka asked with a wide smile.

 **Kirigakure**

The village was truly hidden in Mist. Naruto couldn't see anything. Ever since he landed on the rocky terrain, he was welcomed by thick mist that hid everything in the surrounding area. Not even the Sharingan would be able to see anything in this mist. Perhaps he shouldn't have abandoned his aerial approach. He would have landed right at the heart of the village.

One thing was certain about the mist: it was man made. The Rinnegan could see chakra within the atmosphere. Even for someone like him, staying in this kind of environment would be hazardous.

Naruto took out his sword and channelled chakra through it. The engravings on the blade lit up brightly before he swiped it in front of him: it began to absorb the mist. It didn't absorb it all but it did enough to leave the atmosphere visible.

He was surrounded by a number of shinobi. He hadn't made any noise and they had greeted him like this. They weren't attacking – which was good. The security was good in the village but was it strong enough?

Ao stepped up very cautiously. The Byakugan was already active. He could see the flow of chakra from around the sword. It didn't seem as if it had been absorbed by the blond. It was stored on the blade itself. This person wasn't normal either. Hence the caution.

"Who are you and state your business!"

According to Intel, the Mizukage was a reasonable person. She wasn't as stubborn as the Sandaime Tsuchikage. So he could be in for a warm reception. That is if she is in the mood to speak to him. But Naruto was sure that things would be fine. He wasn't going to kill anyone after all. He was here to talk.

Naruto sharpened his gaze – his eyes barely opened. He allowed a slight bit of his chakra to leak, creating tension in the atmosphere. He took a single step forward and a kunai whisked past him just inches away from his left ear – it was coming from behind.

He halted his movements.

'There is no Jinchuriki in this land…' Kurama said to Naruto. 'We have to look at other lands. This makes it two Jinchurikis missing.'

'Well, Intel hadn't painted a picture of the Mist having a Bijuu. Its last Jinchuriki was Yagura but he is dead…'

'Couldn't you have just asked that woman if you knew Yagura was dead? She was hunting them, she should know.'

Naruto blinked. 'You know it never crossed my mind.'

'You're still an idiot.'

'If you insult me, I will keep increase your sentence. It won't be months or weeks, it will be my entire lifetime…'

Kurama shrugged carelessly. 'Maybe you can increase your lifespan with the Gedo Mazo but you'll still grow old. Your body will be weak, so I can still break away…'

Naruto was silent for a couple of moments. 'Meh, I can increase the strength of the seal…' he said with a shrug. 'This just reminds me to finish working on my clone. Once completed, even in old age I won't have a problem because it will not age and can be armed with my power without limit.'

'Just make sure you don't create a weapon of destruction that will get controlled by someone else. Those cursed eyes are very good at that.'

'Speaking from experience… I see…' Naruto was kicked out after saying those words.

He found himself surrounded by seven blades, pointing at vital parts of his body. This was just being careless. Just because he sensed that none of these people had enough power to threaten him didn't mean that he had to ignore them like they were flies.

Well, in a world of power, they were. There was really no need for him to even fight such people was there? Not unless they forced the issue or could stand his killing intent.

"Don't make a single move or you will regret it…"

He was being surrounded a lot these days. It did always end in his favour but it didn't change the fact. Then again, this was a working hazard. He could not complain about it.

He could simply blast them away by a shockwave or using the Rinnegan. But there was no need to go that far. Only this man with the eye pack seemed capable enough to cause problems.

Naruto's eyes glanced down at the man. Those hypnotic eyes stared at the man without emotion.

"I can see your chakra…' Ao said to Naruto.

Such a damn shame. Naruto wanted these people to greet the Bijuu inside of him. Well, he couldn't have everything go his way.

"The Doujutsu you have there…" Naruto said. "You're saying you'd be able to read the build up of chakra and you'll be able to react fast enough to stab me."

"You get the point…" Ao said. "If you don't tell us what we want, we will treat you as a spy."

Naruto moved his left hand slowly and deliberately so that Ao could see it. He placed his fingers on the kunai that was pressed against his throat. He then held it tightly before it snapped in half. "These are just toys before me… if you are going to threaten me, bring heavy weaponry. I came to speak with the Mizukage… lead me to her or I will find her myself."

"Can't do that…" Ao said firmly.

"It's fine…" Naruto said carelessly. A shrill of a bird racing down the earth and forced the men to look up. They saw a large bird blasting down toward them in blinding speed. They were forced to flee from Naruto.

Boom!

The bird slammed into the ground in a loud boom that gave a rise of debris before it sprung to life. The bird burst up into the heavens with Naruto sitting on its back. The bird raced towards the village, causing the men to give chase on the ground.

Naruto arrived at the village safely and once more left his bird in the heavens before flying towards the rooftop of the biggest tower in the village.

The moment he touched down, he was forced to do a 360 twist with his sword facing held firmly across his chest. Chojiro had lunged at him while swinging his sword in a horizontal slash. The two swords clashed with Naruto's held defensively.

Chojiro was surprised that Naruto didn't even budge after his sword slammed into his. The blond had reacted quickly but he had still expected something.

Naruto's eyes didn't focus on the shinobi who'd attacked him. He stared at the redhead woman who was standing a couple of feat away.

"You must be the Mizukage…" he said.

"And you are?" Mei asked without confirming or denying Naruto's statement.

How long has she been the leader of this village? And when has someone attacked? The last attacks were from some people who supported Yagura but that had been a couple of years ago. This person wasn't from this village. He didn't wear a headband, which made identifying him difficult.

Mei couldn't think of someone who would simply try to attack the Hidden Mist. They haven't been doing anything against anyone. Kiri as so far been minding its own business

"Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuriki of the Kyubi and a former shinobi of the Hidden Leaf…" Naruto responded calmly. "I mean no harm."

"Then what do you want?"

"To talk to you about certain subjects." Naruto said. He pushed Chojiro away and sheathed his sword before expelling his summons from this world. "I have been told you are a reasonable person with whom I can hold a fair discussion with."

Mei thought about things for a couple of moments. She couldn't sense any form of deceit from this powerful shinobi, yet she was still wary. She could sense his overwhelming power and not to mention that he was a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi.

Speaking of which, hadn't Konoha sent a message about three years ago requesting cooperation in case this person called Naruto Uzumaki appeared?

The Godaime Mizukage stared at the blond before speaking. "But I will have to keep your weapon."

Naruto tilted his head for a moment and then took out his long sword. He stared at his precious piece. He had invested a lot for this to be made. Someone had made it for him but he had spent hours engraving the seals on it. This was his precious third arm.

"No… I can't do that…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "I can however give it to a blacksmith to service it while we talk. It won't be in my possession and I will not leave without it since I don't know when I will return."

Mei nodded to this. She didn't have a problem with it. "Chojiro, show hin to the best. When done, bring him back to me…"

"Hai, Mizukage-sama…" Chojiro said.

Naruto was led to a small shop that was far away from others. It was a bit secluded. The shop had all kinds of swords. It was truly the kind of weapon storage one could desire. This wasn't a storage of course but Naruto could see himself owning something like this.

An old man came out from behind the counter: he was small but with stern eyes. "A new customer and one not from this village…" the old man said watching Naruto – who was looking through the swords on display.

"Yamato-san…" Chojiro greeted the man. "This man is a guest of the Mizukage. He has brought his sword in…"

The old man faced Chojiro for a moment before facing Naruto who was walking up to him. The blond took out the sheath on his back and handed it over to the old man.

"I just need to make sure that it doesn't get dull." He said handing the sword over to the old man.

The old man took it with both hands. He nearly dropped it not expecting it to be heavy.

"It's abnormally heavy…" the old man before taking out the sword from its sheath. He placed the sheath on the floor and handled it with both his hands. "Abnormally long even." He examined its blade. He could see his reflection. It was rather sharp. "It will require some expensive materials for me to service something like this. This engravings will make it difficult even. I will have to spend hours on it."

"It's fine…" Naruto said. "Don't ruin the engravings because there is a large amount of chakra inside the seals. If you make a mistake, all that chakra will destroy everything in here."

"Why do you store chakra on the blade of the sword?"

Naruto smiled. "Its for important purposes and keeps the sword special."

The old man sneered. "It's likely that you keep the chakra there so that you can absorb it in case you run out of chakra or just to be able to use its special futures in cases you are not able to use your own chakra…" he said. "Is there anything I should know?"

"Those engravings are a set of complex seals. Be careful with it…"

The old man nodded. "Give me between 36 to 45 hours. I will begin working on it now…"

 **Mizukage Office**

Mei wasn't doing any work. Not when she was waiting for Naruto to return to her with Chojiro. She couldn't focus on her work because she was curious. Perhaps way too curious for her own good. But this whole situation was just something else.

Ao didn't have good impressions of the blond after their encounter about an hour ago. He was wary because the blond's strength made him uncomfortable. The hidden intentions didn't do anything to steer the nagging questions he had.

But Mei had tried to wave the fears away. This didn't mean that she wasn't going to be cautious around the blond. A moment of weakness could be the difference between life and death; success or failure.

When the blond finally returned, Mei smiled and showed him a chair. She stared into his strange eyes; she couldn't read anything from them.

"What can I do for you, Naruto-san?"

Naruto could feel shinobi watching him from the shadows. One wrong move from him and they would pounce. He didn't see any wrong in being cautious. He was an unknown factor and they had a job to protect their leader from any threat.

The blond leaned to his chair and rested his head on the palm of his left hand. There was no emotion expressed on his face. "I have been travelling around. I went to Iwa. Their reaction was expected but disappointing. In any case, I have some time in this village since it will take some time for my sword to be ready.

"I have seen many people. Studied cultures for better understanding of humans. On my journey, I came across this village that stopped focusing on military for economic activity but chose tourism, trade and other business mechanism for business. I thought this method was peaceful for a peaceful nation.

"But I have also come to realize that shinobi villages do need a military force. We are imperfect beings. There will always be someone who does wrong, at this case, the military might is needed. When you have too much power, you will use it for good or for bad. It is truly those with power that are able to force change. Don't you agree Mizukage-sama?"

Mei wasn't expecting this kind of talk from this person. She was honestly expecting something different. He said so many things but she heard him and it made her smile.

"It looks that way. Power is everything in this world. Missions, business, alliances, they are formed with those who are powerful. Keep in mind that we define power by military might…" Mei said.

Naruto nodded. "Which is a flaw in our thinking. There are different kinds of power: economic power, military power and political power. Daimyo's rule by political power. Small villages rely on trading and business to keep economic activity. Shinobi villages focus on military power.

"It is because we think we are all powerful that we can kill, steal and rape without any problem. Peace treaties are nothing to shinobi nations. They are just words written on a piece of paper that can be burnt at any moment. What do you think makes villages do that?"

"Because there is no consequence for such actions."

Naruto smiled. "There are no consequences. I left Konoha mainly because of this. I have said I want peace, but peace is merely a result of something else."

Mei nodded. "I thought I could foster closer ties with other nations to create an environment where Kages are able to act together rather than rather than against each other… but I failed."

It was a bitter feeling but she had yet to give up. She would try until her says it Can't do it anymore.

"What I have told you is my line of thinking. You still don't trust me. I understand that. But I want you to think about what I have said. I will come back to you tomorrow to discuss your thoughts and what I truly want." Naruto said as he stood up. "I'll be at the outskirts of the village by the sea. I want to meditate. You can have your shinobi watch me."

 **Minutes later**

'Your story really changes…' Kurama said with a shake of his head.

'Eh, it leads to one point…' Naruto said with a shrugged. 'I know my actions will create more tensions and will probably pit hidden villages against each other but like everyone else, I need a reason to justify my actions. Or perhaps I don't really want peace but a reason to rule over the Elemental Nations.'

'But what do you really want with her? All that talk, it isn't anything that has to do with your true objective?'

'I want to buy Kiri's ships and utilize some of its trade routes for myself. It is part of a greater plan. If destruction doesn't work on them, I will starve them. I will cut their means to fund wars. This can only happen if I monopolize trade routes.'

 **End of chapter**

 **A guest asked where Itachi was…: he is dead.**

 **There have been questions regarding this story's connection to God Amongst Men… I think I have said it a couple of times that things will not go as stated in GAM. We must just forget about the story altogether.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Mei was sitting on a small boulder, with a bottle of sake on her right side. She was watching Naruto – who was sitting in a meditative position just below her. He came here everyday and sat like that. He could sit like that for half of day without moving. Without opening his eyes. There would be just massive amounts of chakra fluctuating around him. It would change elements every now and then. This activity was the reason the she came here. His chakra movements attracted too much attention.

There was just too much chakra for one person. It was dangerous. Truly dangerous. Yet, there was no evil intent she could feel from it. It wasn't to say it was pure. Far from it. She didn't expect it to be pure. Nobody was truly pure. They all had their faults.

Despite the overwhelming power that Mei has felt, there was no sign of power of the Bijuu inside of him. He was a Jinchuriki in name. She didn't sense that.

Why would someone obtain such power? Mei understood what he was saying, but she was also missing what he hadn't said to her. That wasn't the main concern though. She wondered what he wanted to do with all that power. What he wanted to achieve. And if someone so powerful turned out to be an evil person, who would gather the forces to fight against such a person?

"To have such a serious look, you must be thinking hard…" Naruto's voice pulled Mei out of her thoughts.

The Mizukage's eyes met with Naruto's – those strange eyes once more. She had never asked. But she knew it was a doujutsu. Then again, Konoha has always been blessed with such bloodlines. The Leaf was much like Kirigakure in that regard. Though, Kiri's fortunes have fallen. But the same could be said about Konoha: it has lost its once feared Uchiha clan.

Mei took a sip from the sake on her right before speaking. "Why do you spend so much time meditating?" She didn't know anyone who spent time like this. Perhaps monks would be good at this kind of thing, but not shinobi. Shinobi didn't have that kind of patience.

It wasn't so much as meditating. It looked like that in the outside and he really did meditate. But it wasn't for most of the time. He spent much time locking horns with the Kyubi. He battled the Bijuu every now and then to increase his battle experiences and to sharpen his instincts.

Fighting against something so powerful really made fighting against weaker opponents somewhat dull and unnecessary. Those of weaker strength ought not to be fought by him, but he should beat them while giving them some lessons. That way, it would make things interesting for him.

"Because I have large amounts of chakra, I must always keep it in balance for better control. If I slip, it becomes a problem using ninjutsu. You should know, the better your understanding of a jutsu and your chakra control, determines the amount of chakra you will use. Poor control means excessive use of chakra… meditation helps me regulate chakra through my chakra system…"

"Always striving to improve, huh?" Mei said. "How strong are you?"

Naruto adopted a thoughtful look on his face. But there was really no need for him to think about anything. He was simply thinking of a better adjective to use. He couldn't find it, so he simply said.

"Strong enough to destroy a shinobi village with one jutsu…" Naruto responded.

Mei didn't seem surprised or shocked. She seemed to believe him even. It was surprising to Naruto. But he didn't say anything. He waited for the Mizukage to respond.

"Is changing the world that much of a mission you felt you needed to gain that much power?" Mei asked.

"I told you, some people will only listen to power. Not that only but if you want to take on powerful foes, you must make sure that your power matches them. If you cannot be stronger than the mountains before you, you will not climb them. I realized that on my journey, I needed to have power. It was necessary. It will be necessary for both my survival and the realization of my dreams."

That was the sound of a person who was expecting a huge battle. You did not gain this much power not expecting an epic battle. Mei had a feeling that Naruto was someone who would his power to force people to listen to him. He has been saying it, people only listen to those with power. It was perhaps true. The likes of Ai would never recognize anyone who isn't strong enough.

But wouldn't it be for naught to use force to get people to listen to you? Naruto was obviously prepared for battle. He was always preparing. Even now, he was looking forward to battle. But this method would only get people angry and it would just cause conflicts. There would only be tensions and those with him would be at odds with those against him.

It was a situation Mei didn't want to see. In fact, she was willing to try to talk him out of this mind-set.

"Force isn't always the answer to everything. It makes your case pointless if you are going to argue that nations choose a more diplomatic method of solving their problems. If you are going to use force, then they will be right to say being armed is good to be able to battle such enemies…"

Naruto didn't attempt to argue with Mei over what she had said. He understood her clearly because this was something he had thought. It would have been careless of him to do things without considering his actions and the kind of message they sent to the Elemental Nations.

Perhaps he had been in some way ignoring it. Hence his thought of living for a little while longer than most humans. Force will only result in anger, war and bloodshed. It would cause this world into a scenario of imbalance.

Even if he does manage to get them under one roof, as long as he was alive, they would never forgive him. They would always be fighting him in some manner. People desired freedom to such lengths that they were willing to die seemingly pointless deaths in order to get this freedom.

Naruto smiled at Mei. It wouldn't be wrong to say she was making him think more. He had advocated this to Nagato, telling the man that there would be no peace in his method. He had smiled at said the old Akatsuki had been doing the right thing under Yahiko's leadership.

The blond shook his head. "You are right… but sometimes our own desire to see things through blinds us from seeing certain things. I'm still human. I make mistakes; I ignore facts that point to a flaw in my thinking because I want to succeed."

"But ignoring facts will only lead to failure." Mei said those words in a hardened tone. "You'll only be frustrated in the end."

When frustrations hit, one was likely to end up going on a rampage in anger. His kind of rampage would not be pretty. Perhaps even freed Bijuus would step in to stop him. But if that happened, would he die a villain and the Bijuus continue as heroes?

Naruto thought of it for a moment before nodding. Yes, if he 'died' in that style, with the shinobi nations watching, then all could be well. He would die the villain he was and the Bijuu would be seen as good. As long some conditions were set for shinobi to say that they are comfortable with Bijuus roaming free, then there would be no problem.

He could live his life normally under false identity. He could manipulate his chakra signature and his scent to ensure that no one recognizes him.

"Regardless of how much you have seen, you can never really say you have seen it all…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "You never do stop learning…" he said standing up.

"I want us to head back to my office so that we can talk. You are leaving soon; I don't think we will have more time to talk if we don't use it…" The Mizukage said.

Naruto looked up into the heavens for a moment before nodding his head. "My sword should be ready…" he said. "Let us…"

Mei thought for a moment before nodding to herself. "How about we talk as we eat? I haven't had the time to know you personally. It has been business…" she said slyly.

Naruto smiled. It was the same smile as the Mizukage. The woman had a rather charming smile. A seductive gaze. She was a dangerous woman. She wasn't only smart but she knew how to handle herself. This was not the kind of field he wanted to play. He was always the one trying to use those charms, not the other way around.

"I have been rather respectful to your position…" Naruto said. He had noticed though. The woman openly flirt. He hadn't responded openly. Perhaps because his mind was burdened by too many thoughts. "A little unease at my own thoughts has made it difficult for me to be personal. But can we really understand each other if you do not see the kind of person I am?"

"There will be a lot of guessing work… it only plants seeds of doubt…" Mei said.

She took Naruto back to the village and led him to a very fancy restaurant. There wasn't much noise and where they sat, it was just the two of them. The food didn't take long to come.

"You don't look like a lonely person even though you have abandoned your village." Mei said. Normally, missing-nins tend to live in their own and always on the run from their home villages. But this one didn't look like he was on the run. He was different.

Naruto smiled. "Despite being a wanted person, I have an interesting life…" he said. "I might get hated along the way, called names… maybe I might find myself struggling with madness. To conquer that, I decided that I needed to have a normal personal life."

"Relationships?"

"Relationship…" Naruto corrected. "It's a bit of a secret. But that is what makes it interesting. The sneaking around, the sense that you could get caught: It is happiness."

"I envy you…" Mei said with a slight frown on her lips. "Everyone does deserve some happiness. Nothing much like being in love."

"I was once. It was a bitter experience since it was unrequited…" Naruto said with a bitter smile. Those days had been horrid. He never wanted to put himself in that position again.

Mei raised an eye brow. "Unrequited love, huh?" She paused and looked thoughtful. "What is best? Experiencing love but with disappointments or desiring to love someone yet your heart can't find someone to love?"

Naruto stared at the woman with an expressionless mask. She was being honest but so was he. He didn't lie much but he still expected other people to lie. He didn't expect this person to be this honest.

"With unrequited love, you at least experience love. You know what it means to love. You are filled with warmth and happiness when you see the person to love… But it can also be bitter and turn into a murderous intent if you are not pure. The other part would be just frustrations…"

"Story of my life…" Mei said with a sigh. "No man has loved me in a long time."

Naruto shook his head. "That is an impossible scenario. Regardless of how twisted and evil you are, one will always have that one person who loves you." He said before adding. "You are a beautiful, charming woman. You possess power and the mind to use it. You have people who love and worship you. The question you should ask yourself is – who is brave enough to tell me?"

Mei raised an eye brow in surprise. She didn't expect those words from someone younger than her. Then again, Naruto was a Jinchuriki. He would know. He understood the pain of love. Looking for love when everyone around you hated your very existence.

The Mizukage smiled. "It may happen that nobody will ever be brave enough…"

"That is a possibility but it is you who wants to be happy. Perhaps it is a little unnatural, but if there is someone you like, you have to take it. Don't steal, you'll get burnt…" Naruto said with a smile.

Mei giggled at this. "Being burnt would be part of the risk…" she said.

"That is one way to look at it…" Naruto said with a shrug. "But if it is worth the risk, why not? I'm also taking a risk, if I get caught, things won't be good. But for my happiness, I'm willing to continue…"

"For your happiness, huh?" Mei looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "What more am I missing?"

"Your spies must have already told you about the a place called the Emperor's Palace…"

"Yes?"

"I built that place. For my dreams, I figured Intel was vital. But I'm not a spy and even if I created a spy network, there would be information I could miss. So I built a place that utilizes other people's spy networks. Any kind of information you have can be sold at the information desk. We are connected to spies from all nations and the information at large is available to us…"

Mei's smiled disappeared. "I was told about the place and its many facilities. But doesn't this mean you are capable to manipulating information for your end?"

"It means that but we have rules, rather strict rules..." Naruto did not elaborate on those rules. "I want to start a trading company. I need ships, and things to sell. I have what I need to get the Fire Feudal Lord to make me the custodian of most trade routes in the Fire Country."

"What are you selling?"

"What do you need?"

"Are those ships not going to be used for war?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't need an army to fight a war. I'm a weapon built for both creation and destruction…" he said in a serious tone. "We have the funds to buy at least three vessels and two small ones that will be used for fishing."

"Aside from a new trade partner, what do I get from this? Assuming you also want to use our trade routes…"

"A share of the spoils…" Naruto said. "I have made enough connections to get the merchants I can sell things to. I have also made many friends in the Elemental Nations. People will be ecstatic to do trading with me. There might be challenges though…"

Mei eyed the blond carefully. She was certain it was going to be something that wouldn't make her smile. It was just the tone that he used. But hadn't she had the feeling that this person was capable of a lot of things? Challenges wouldn't be in the form of competition but enemies.

It would take him some time to establish himself in the trading industry but making enemies only took a single day.

"What challenges?"

"Iwagakure sees me as enemy because of a certain demand that I made. I will do something similar in Kumogakure… they too will likely make me their enemy…" Naruto said. "I want Bijuus to be freed. I don't care for their power, I don't want future generations to be faced with the thought of being Jinchurikis and Bijuus too deserve their freedom."

Mei stared at Naruto. He sounded almost crazy, at least on last part. She knew what Jinchurikis were made to go through. Naruto was the better judge of all that. Yet, she couldn't see the need to free Bijuus. They were indeed captives but wasn't it also safe for humans with Bijuus sealed away?

"Why would you want to free Bijuus?"

Naruto smiled. "A Jinchuriki would understand. In simple case, we who contain Bijuus know what is it like to host them and what it means to cooperate with them. Most of all, in our loneliness, Bijuus are the ones we can talk to. We understand their intelligence better. To us, they are not just masses of chakra, but partners and friends…" Naruto paused. "Would you like to meet the Kyubi?"

Mei wasn't given the chance to respond because those hypnotic eyes of Naruto pulled her away from her body.

She was welcomed by darkness and two huge silted eyes. There was an ominous evil feeling that gave her a chill on her spine. A low dangerous growl nearly made her jump back.

Mei was smart enough to know that this wasn't a genjutsu.

"Naruto, why did you bring a human before me? Do you want me to eat her?" Kurama's deep and powerful voice echoed through the space around the Mizukage.

Naruto clapped his hands and everything became visible. The Godaime Mizukage widened her eyes when she came to face a huge beast. The Kyubi had its head resting on its paws and its tails slowly swinging. The blond was sitting on the Bijuus head.

"Mei Terumi… this is the Kyubi…" Naruto said calmly.

Mei didn't know what to say but before she could even say anything, she was flushed out. The woman had a sweat on her forehead as she stared at Naruto's smile.

"He doesn't like humans very much. But that was the Kyubi… If you are familiar with summons then you can put a Bijuu in a similar category. I mean this in terms of Intelligence and power. Bijuus are a lot more powerful and can't die."

It took some time for Mei to gather her thoughts and formulate a response. "So you want to free that?"

Naruto nodded. "Each Bijuu had a certain place where it lived peacefully before humans started hunting them down for their power. My clan didn't help matters by being the 'first' to come with sealing methods.

"If I strip away the Bijuus from these villages, they will hunt me down and the Bijuus I freed. But I will fight them. Even if they send their entire military might upon me, they will not win it because Bijuus are not their property. The Shodai Hokage made this mess by giving and selling Bijuus to other villages in an attempt to balance the powers. I will correct that error."

Mei shook her head. "You're courting trouble…"

Naruto nodded. "I know but I will not back down. Either way, my trading has to go on and I will protect my merchandise. Those who threaten it will pay for it."

Once more, Mei shook her head. "Are you sure you want to do something like that?"

Naruto nodded. "I want to do it and I will do it. Nothing will stop me. Humans have to admit that they are wrong in the treatment of Bijuus. It is because of this that Bijuus don't really like humans. Like the Kyubi, it would have no problem in wiping out an entire village because its hatred for humans. Even now, the Bijuu's hatred of humans is something else. It is because of the injustice suffered in the hands humans. I must correct it. We must correct it. That is just the beginning of my plan, but I can't free the Elemental Nations without freeing what the nations have bound."

"I can't tell if you are a good person or not. But your actions will not be well received. You are taking the side of Bijuus. You will not be liked. I can't tell you to stop, but business I will do with you." Mei said in a serious tone. "Just be careful though, you seem like an honest person, don't let your path drive you into a dark path…"

"This is why I said I needed to be happy." Naruto said. "I will let you be the judge of my character, Mei-san. You will decide whether I am good or bad. Whether intensions are good doesn't mean that our actions will be good. But I am trying in all ways to ensure that there is no fault in my actions. Should there be fault, I am willing to pay for it…" he said with a sad smile.

That sounded like a death alarm. Mei frowned at the thought. But she couldn't say anything about it. "What will happen to the Bijuus?"

"They will live in freedom… and will not be involved in human battles fighting as weapons. They will only involve themselves if there is an enemy that humans cannot handle…"

"Would that enemy be you?" Mei asked with narrowed eyes. There was emotion in both her eyes and tone. Naruto couldn't tell what it was.

The blond just smiled though. "Who knows?"

 **Kumogakure**

It was early morning – the sun had yet to even rise. Yugito was going through her morning excises to keep in shape. Since her loss to the Akatsuki, she had upped her training. She wanted to improve on her abilities so that she doesn't end up in that situation once more. The Jinchuriki always came up here and sometimes when Killer Bee was around, she would spar with him. He was stronger than her, but she wanted to cut the gap. The fact that his Bijuu was stronger than hers didn't matter to her. Even she could defeat someone with a Bijuu with more tails than hers.

In the end, physical prowess was always everything if you could use it.

Yugito's body tensed when a person crashed landed right in front of her. The person looked to have come from the sky and landed like a bullet. The blonde held up her guard as she watched the debris disappear.

Naruto walked out of the debris with an expressionless mask on his face. He was walking slowly; his movements seemed to be purposeful.

"Naruto?" Yugito asked in question. She wasn't expecting him. His eyes. His chakra. It felt different. The signature was still the same but its potency had sharpened. It was almost frightening. There was a big shadow that was behind him and if this had been the first time she was seeing him, she would have taken a step back.

"In the flesh…" Naruto responded calmly. He finally reached Yugito and touched her with his right hand.

The touch was cold and made Yugito feel uncomfortable. She took the hand looked at its palm: there was no flesh, it looked like a mechanical lining meant to shoot something. There was a blue circle with ripple patterns. Almost like his eyes.

"What did you do to your hands?"

"I can change it any time…" Naruto said with a shrug. The Rinnegan lit slightly before the blonds found themselves in an endless world with their respective Bijuus standing behind them.

"Kurama…" Matatabi said, looking at the nine tailed beast lying behind Naruto. She was surprised. But the human had the Rinnegan. She was still surprised about what this human wanted from them. Even last time, there hadn't been any harm intended for Yugito. It was still the same now.

"Don't go saying my name so casually!" Kurama exclaimed in a hardened tone.

Naruto raised an eye brow. He then smiled and turned to face the Bijuu before him. "Kurama… so that is your name. Kurama…" he repeated it once more. "Why didn't you to tell me your name?"

"You never asked…"

"What is with this attitude of yours? I must always interrogate you for you to tell me things? I'm starting to feel that you don't trust me, Kurama. Even after all these years…"

Kurama glared at Naruto. He sneered. "Since when did you become so emotional with me?"

Naruto smiled. "You told me many things when I asked about the Gedo Mazo but you did not make things clear about your relationship with other Bijuus. The fact that this one knows your name means that you have a relationship with the others. You are the strongest… they should be able to listen to you… or not."

"This is rather shocking…" Matatabi said. "I never thought the mighty Kurama would get along with a human."

"Who says we get along?" Kurama said. He paused before speaking once more. "Anyway, you should see that this human is a bit special."

"I can see those eyes…" the two tails said. "I guess we are not being hunted anymore…"

Naruto nodded. "I have taken care of the Akatsuki…" he said. "This Bijuu behind me has a name, so I assume you too have one…"

"Matatabi…"

"Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuriki of Kurama and wielder of the Rinnegan…" Naruto introduced himself politely. "I said I got rid of the Akatsuki but I may still become a problem depending on how you look at things. I want to remove you from Yugito…"

"Wait what?!" Yugito exclaimed with wide eyes. She knew she would die in the process. Did he just save her from the Akatsuki because he wanted the power for himself?

Yugito gritted her teeth in anger. She'd actually thought that he was a good person. He had been nice to her. Instead of thanking him for saving her, she now had to fight him? What a treacherous world this was.

"Ah, we will have this kind of reaction each time we say those words, won't we?" Naruto said as he jumped over to Kurama's head. He settled nicely.

"You're not phrasing it right…" Kurama said.

"What does that mean?" the two tails asked. The two were speaking as if it wasn't there.

"We have no interest in your power nor do we want to kill Yugito. The Shodai Hokage sold you to Kumogakure in the founding of shinobi villages in an attempt to balance powers. But that took away your freedom. I want to restore your freedom, even it means I have to be hated by this village or any other village. I want a world where humans are no longer used as sacrifices and Bijuus are not treated as merely weapons."

"I don't hate my Jinchuriki and I would not want to leave this Yugito if it would mean killing her…"

Naruto shook his head. "At the end of the day, Yugito will be alive. These eyes of mine can make that happen. You will still be able to keep contact with her through a mental link. I can create a contract that allows her to summon you when she needs you. Another method would for you to leave her with some of your chakra for her to be able to use some of your abilities but she will not be able to transform. She will still be able to communicate with you and use your power."

This was just too much for Yugito. She did wonder what life would be like if she was no longer a Jinchuriki. But she was already used to this life, she no longer had any reason to hate it. The Bijuu that was inside of her had become part of her life, she didn't know if she could be away from it.

Didn't Naruto say there would be a mental link? That would mean she would be able to keep contact with Matatabi at any time and if she needed the Bijuu, she could always use the chakra that would be inside of her.

Ultimately, she would not have a say. Not when she didn't want to turn out to be a traitor. The Raikage would not agree to any of this. The Bijuu inside of her was a property of Kumo, he would not have it any other way.

"A-sama will not agree to any of this…" Yugito said. "How can I even trust you that I will not die?"

"The Rinnegan has the power…" Matatabi said. "But I don't think he cares about what your Raikage thinks, Yugito. He will do it regardless."

"That is correct. I don't even want Bijuus to be fighting human battles and wars. Perhaps in time, they will only fight against me. The decision to say Matatabi has to leave some chakra is for you to be able to fight on your own…" Naruto said to Yugito. "Kurama will also be removed from me. There will no longer be any Jinchuriki."

"You want me to keep it a secret from A-sama that I can summon Matatabi?"

"Yes… it is necessary…" Naruto said. "If you tell him, he will try to get the Bijuu sealed again because those humans who have not been close to Bijuus cannot picture them making decisions on their own."

"A-sama will hunt you down…" Yugito said. "Are you going to Bee as well? He has a good bond with his Bijuu…"

"It doesn't matter to me. Humans will no longer decide the fate of Bijuus… I will do to him what I will do to you…" Naruto said calmly. "I will give you time to think about it. You can also express to Bee what I have expressed to you. When I come back to this village, you must be ready."

"If I'm not?"

"It won't matter. I will do as I have said…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Do You still think you can thank me for-"

There was a violent force that separated the two parties. Naruto's reaction was instinctive. The Yondaime Raikage had appeared in a lightning blur. The man flashed on the left side of Naruto and his right fist flashed in lightning speed, heading towards Naruto's chest.

Naruto's instinctive response was to cross both his hands across his chest hastily. A's fist collided with his hands. Naruto winced when the brutal fist connected. He hadn't prepared himself for the force it came with. The fist sent him rocketing backwards like a bullet. His body was blur before loudly crashing into a large boulder. The boulder broke apart after Naruto crashed into it. This caused debris to pick up.

"Are you okay, Yugito?" A asked Yugito – who looked dazed as if she couldn't put her hands on what was happening around her.

The words from the Raikage snapped the blonde out of her thoughts and she responded with a nod. But why was the Raikage attacking Naruto like that? Did he already know about what her fellow Jinchuriki wanted to do?

A couple of seconds later, Naruto, stood up and walked away from the debris whilst dusting himself. He was unharmed.

"You are truly fast, Raikage-sama and well deserving as being the fastest man alive…" Naruto said in a polite tone.

"By that you mean you don't know how to use your father's jutsu…" A said with disappointment. "I'd wished to test myself against that jutsu one more time…"

"Perhaps you will get a chance to test yourself against the Yellow Flash himself in the near future…" Naruto said mysteriously.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The Yondaime Raikage demanded with narrowed eyes.

"Who knows?" Naruto said with a careless shrug and a small smile on his lips. "Attacking me like that, the Tsuchikage must have reached out to you already…"

Not surprising but Naruto would have rather left this village without into contact with the Raikage. It may have been better if he had sent a mere clone. The Raikage wasn't simply going to let him leave.

"He told me… I assume you are here for the same purpose…" A said. "Let me warn you that my Jinchuriki are not for the taking. I should have seen this coming. You wanted the power for yourself. Akatsuki was just in the way…"

Naruto looked at the man as if he was being ridiculous. "I don't need the powers of the Bijuus. I have the most powerful Bijuu inside of me and I don't even use its power…" the blond said shaking his head.

He looked at Yugito, he didn't want to fight her but she could be dragged into the fight. Well, if the Raikage he doesn't need help from her, then she will be put away safely from him in case he tries to do something.

"Overconfidence!" A sneered. Darui was ready to back him up at any moment. But he could do this on his own.

"Stand back, Yugito… I will handle this…" he said sternly. "We will take the Kyubi and send your body to Iwagakure."

Naruto looked amused for a moment. He shook his head. "Pitiful…" his voice was cold and stern. There was no emotion in his eyes. "You do not have the power to defeat me, Raikage-sama…" those words came out with power.

The moment they left his lips, Darui appeared in a blur in front of him: the man was swinging his sword above Naruto shoulders.

Naruto's response was faster: his right hand grabbed his sword from his sheath and swung it vertically all while he was watching Darui's sword move towards his neck. The speed of his blade was so fast that it went on to cut through the dark skinned man before his sword could reach him.

The moment Naruto's blade cut through Darui, there was a burst of lightning behind Naruto: A was slightly above the ground, facing the blond's back. He drove a right punch straight towards Naruto's back.

Simultaneously, Darui burst into black lightning. Naruto only had a second to think: he only activated the seal on his sword to absorb the lightning. But brutal punch from the Raikage slammed onto his back. There was a sickening sound of a bone cracking when the punch connected. It was so brutal that Naruto's body blasted off in blinding speed after being hit. The blond didn't even stop from his momentum until he burst through two boulders.

Buried on a rock, Naruto felt the pain on his back souring through his entire body. He quickly shook it off and stood up. He still had his sword on his right hand. He sheathed the sword and took several steps towards the clear field.

But A suddenly appeared in front of him in a blur. The was the sound of lightning as the man's body flashed through the air, his right fist cutting through, heading straight towards his face.

Naruto responded by forcing himself to fall backwards. Everything appeared in slow motion as A's fist went past his face. As this was happening, Naruto held his hands together, just above him. the palms were facing the Raikage's gut. He released a pale blue beam from the palm of his hands. The beam shot out in the blink of an eye, heading straight towards the Raikage's gut. The man blurred out of sight and the beam shot up into the sky.

A flashed below Naruto from behind. He attempted to knee the blond on his back but Naruto disappeared in a blur.

A flashed into the clearing and stretched his muscles a bit before speaking. "Your speed isn't that bad." He said. But he didn't sound impressed. Not even the least.

Naruto didn't respond: he started darting towards the Raikage. A did the same. And then the two suddenly disappeared from sight. They suddenly appeared just above the ground. Naruto tried attacking with his right fist, but the Raikage's movements were faster. Managed to grab the blond by his face with an iron claw.

Simultaneously, another Naruto burst from the ground. It was the blade that came out first and it was heading towards A's gut. The man's grip on 'Naruto' and he burst in a puff of smoke. The man gritted his teeth as he shifted his body towards the right to avoid the sword. The sword only managed to cut through the left side of his stomach, just slightly but its other effect was absorbing the lightning. It did just enough for Naruto's left palm to slam onto A's gut.

The man hadn't been able to move has he had been trying to avoid the fatal blow from his sword.

The Raikage gritted his teeth in pain when six black rods suddenly sprouted from his back. Naruto allowed the man to hit the ground in a thud with his face.

The moment the Raikage hit the ground, Darui flashed behind Naruto just above the ground but the man's momentum was halted by an open palm of Naruto's left hand. The moment he had appeared, the hand just flashed in front of him without the blond turning to face him.

Darui felt that his body was completely frozen. He couldn't move.

"I'm very much aware that you are not a bunshin…" Naruto said calmly. "If you move closer or do anything smart, the Raikage becomes a cripple or he dies. Now go away…" he blasted the man away in a brutal force that sent the man rocketing away like a bullet.

Naruto didn't even look. He didn't care if the man was going to find some sharp spikes waiting for him. He just looked down at the Raikage.

"What did you do?!" A demanded through gritted teeth. His lightning cloak was no longer around him as he had lost control over his chakra and he couldn't move his body. There was another chakra supressing his movements. No matter how hard he shouted for his hands and legs to move, they ignored him completely.

"Your speed is rather troubling. And you were not at your full speed. There is a difference being able to perceive an attack and being able to react in time to stop or dodge it. Although I can see your attacks, doing something against them is a different matter. With an opponent like you, I don't have the time to weave hand signs. Since my fastest jutsu are lightning based, I figured that wouldn't work because of that lightning cloak…" Naruto explained lightly.

"You won't get away with this..!"

"If I was really fighting you with everything I got, you wouldn't have touched me under these terms…" Naruto shrugged carelessly. "I will get away with it… and I can either chop off both your legs or just kill you now. But I will come back another day. On that day, I will be ready for battle. You can give me everything and everyone you have on that day. It will be the day I show you the power of a god. I'd just come to speak to Yugito today. She will pass on the message…"

A narrowed his eyes up a bit as he sensed something coming down in high speed. There was a large bird charging down. "Know that your life was spared today, Raikage…" the blond disappeared in a blur as the bird changed directions and blasted past him. It took to the air once more before disappearing.

"Raikage-sama!" It was a shout from a couple of shinobi. They rushed over to the fallen Kage but only Yugito and Darui got closer.

A was able to move. He could no longer feel the chakra suppressing his movements. But the rods were still disrupting his chakra flow.

"Remove the rods on my back…" the man ordered.

Darui and Yugito removed the rods but when they each got out of A's flesh, they crumbled into ash.

Being freed, A couldn't help but frown. "We need more information about that man. Last time we saw him, C said his chakra was almost like that of Bee when he has transformed. Yet, he never displayed all that chakra today. We will have problems if we underestimate him again…"

 **A Day Later**

 **Emperor's Palace**

Money was being collected in ways that Naruto hadn't expected. It wasn't only from selling information but the other services made money as well. He needed to add a gambling place now. Addicts would surely lose money. And they always collected. His debt collectors knew how to collect. They were like hounds when one missed the deadline to pay their debts.

Naruto didn't even have to worry about contacting merchants for stock anymore. He handled the first transaction but once he brought people in, he no longer had to worry about anything. They handled things for him.

Naruto was looking at reports while sitting on the bar counter. There was no one around the place – it was just him.

He wondered though, what would happen if he brought Ino to a place like this? What happened on this level, stayed in this room. People were sworn secrecy with severe consequences should they even say anything. Some people even paid money for avoid people leaking information about their activities.

Naruto shook his head. Getting her out of the village would even be a hustle. it was better not to do anything.

"What are you doing so early?" A woman asked, coming into view. She was a young red haired woman. She was tall, with a sincere face, light skin and a ceremonial white gown as if she were a noble.

"Akira…" Naruto looked at the woman for a moment. "Reports. I'm going to stay in Amegakure. I need everything I need…" he paused as the woman took a stool on his left hand. "I will leave foundations for the Uzumaki Tower done before I leave."

Akira nodded. "We will take over then…" she said. "Your problem with Iwagakure is making our high paying customers nervous. It is only them who know you frequent this place but they don't know you own it. They might suspect. The other people don't know.

"But if gets to know about this, then it will cause a problem if Iwagakure decides to attack. They are earth users, they can harm us…"

Naruto looked thoughtful. In the inside, a person couldn't do anything. But the barriers kept people from sensing that there is something from the outside. For someone to do something, they'd have to randomly use earth jutsus.

"I will create a defence…" Naruto said. It would be tripled layered. If one destroyed the first one, we would be alerted and would be here to stop the person before they even get to the last layer of defence. "Anything else?"

"I need the contract to add more names to the people we can summon to this chamber. There are new customers…"

"I will get it…" Naruto said. "Is there anything regarding Orochimaru or his people that I must know?"

"There is a woman named Guren. She has a Crystal Release bloodline. She was once considered to be closest to him second only to Kabuto. She has been living with a teenage boy who has special powers."

Naruto looked thoughtful. He would only care about destroying any hideout of Orochimaru he sees. It was perhaps best to remove the stain of that man from the face of this world. Yes, for a better world, those inhumane experiments had to be removed.

That aside, his empire needed strong people to guard it. He was strong, but he wasn't omnipresent. These people he surrounded himself with were spies. Some of them even though they were spies, they were no more than just genins in terms of power. He needed strong people. Information could control things, but raw power was needed.

"You'll give me what I need. I will hunt her down. Once the tower is completed, she should be working here…" Naruto said without any emotion.

Akira raised an eye brow. It was either Naruto was going to use force or try to give the woman an offer she wasn't going to refuse. Hardly the blond used excessive means. Oh, it wasn't because he couldn't use them. The blond was very capable of every evil and dirty trick. He just preferred against using them when it wasn't necessary.

"I need money to buy ships from Kiri. If it isn't enough, we can rent the ships. We won't need carriages for moving our merchandise… I will go to the Land of Snow to understand how they make their trains. This will be an efficient way to move things throughout the Elemental Nations and makes our trading company a little more appealing. Well, we have sold the idea to our customers, we just need to go to them to officially handle things." Naruto said. "What did I miss?"

"Kumo?"

"I went there… You can add the Raikage on our list of problems…" the blond said.

Akira nodded. "We have a certain visitor in the upper levels…"

"Who?"

"Konoha's Sharingan no Kakashi…" Akira said with a smile. "He is famous you know. When a man like that walks in here, he is recognized."

"You spoke to him?"

Akira shook her head. "No… but I did watch him…"

Naruto nodded. "I will see him in the evening. I need to write letters to those I know and send them out before the day ends…" he said. "We must find out who dominates the trading routes around the fire nation and from the Port City. We need those routes for ourselves…"

Once everything was set, he would change this world. The way the Elemental Nations do things will be changed. Even if he does become evil incarnate, the things he would leave behind would still influence how things are conducted.

"I will speak to Shinji regarding this. He should get the Intel we need for the routes to be given to us…" Akira said with a smile.

 **Unknown Location**

Sasuke had found his team. He was considering heading straight to Konoha to demand to know if the current Hokage knew anything about Itachi's mission. Had it been a couple of years ago, he would have already appeared before the village hell bent on revenge. But he was moving things in a considerable rate because before he does anything, he wanted to find out why Naruto left the Hidden Leaf.

Naruto had loved Konoha. The last time he saw the blond it had been evident that he was a different person altogether. Sasuke still could not understand why the blond left the Hidden Leaf and everyone he had. The blond had been the one on his back, trying to get him to return.

Well, that was no longer the case.

"Who are we looking for now, Sasuke-kun?" Karin asked.

Since the Uchiha found them, he hadn't said much but that they had to go somewhere. Really, Karin wanted to settle. Sasuke killed Itachi, there was no need for the Uchiha to be roaming around the Elemental Nations.

"Naruto… I was told that he frequents some place. If we don't find him, we will go to the Hidden Leaf."

"What will we be going in Konoha?"

"It depends…" Sasuke said. But he did not explain anything. He simply continued walking.

 **Later that Day**

 **Emperor's Palace**

"If it was Jiraiya sensei, he would have been surrounded by young girls, with bottles of sake in front of him…" Naruto said as he sat down beside Kakashi. The Jonin was sitting in a dark booth by himself, reading his favoured book

Saying those words, Naruto could remember seeing Jiraiya grinning perversely while he told stories of his legends to his victims. It was a sight he would surely miss. What he didn't miss was the Sannin getting him to try his Sexy no Jutsu for his own amusement.

Kakashi looked at Naruto and then glanced around the large hall to look for a reaction. There was none. There was a word that Naruto did come here but the people here didn't know he owned the place. Although they claimed to sell any information, not every Intel was actually available. There was nothing about Naruto or about the leadership of this place. The only detail you knew about the blond was the ones you already knew.

As if he could read Kakashi's thoughts, Naruto spoke once more. "I only come around here to make appearances. I spend my time in the lower levels." He smiled. "But the people here don't know that and those who know won't tell anyone. So you won't find that information here."

Speaking of the exclusive club: it was as Jiraiya said – there was no going in there. Kakashi didn't even know anyone who went there. The entrance to the place was hardly used. He had never seen anyone going down. It led him to believe that there was another way of entering the place.

"I haven't seen anyone going down there…"

"You'll only see people going down there by invite…" Naruto responded. "We can't have an exclusive club and still leave all people to see you go in there, can we? Rich people don't even have the time to walk over here anyway."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Naruto smiled but did not respond to the question. "I thought it was best to cut my ties with you people. Perhaps it was because my method before then had been extreme. It might, but it does make you feel human to speak to people you grew up seeing…"

"You could return to Konoha…" Kakashi said. "I think we'd be at war with Iwagakure if you do that though. Tsunade-sama would not hand you over and the leaders there will think it was all Konoha's plan."

"Most likely…" Naruto said. "You can add Kumogakure in the equation. The Raikage will be most displeased…" he said with a shake of his head.

Kakashi didn't ask. He was going to hear about it. He was going to return to Konoha soon. "Where is the money going for all these? I heard of a rule that allows you to pay a certain fee that demands that unless people are willing to match it, they can't get certain Intel… you sure make millions from this. I have seen many people come and go…"

"Some come selling Intel to us… but the rules we make are to protect secrets and make sure that not everyone gets Intel about everyone. If I don't want people knowing about me, I can even pay 10 million and say anyone who has less can't view the Intel. Who has 10 million just lying around?"

"Did you do the same?"

Naruto shook his head. "What do you want, Kakashi?"

Kakashi, huh? The Jonin thought bitterly. Well, he'd never been much of a sensei to Naruto. The only person he truly taught something was Sasuke. But that didn't do much, did it?

"Tsunade-sama is worried that your actions will lead to war… we don't even know what you are planning. I doubt you will tell me, but can you at least tell me what the other nations are plotting?"

"I don't know everything. I only know what I know…" Naruto said with a smile. "It's unlikely there will be war even if Konoha refuses to act on any demands from the other nations. If they try something, I will stop it. Annihilation will do if they do not listen. Both Kumo and Iwa can be turned into dust if I have the appetite, and I can do it. But I'd rather not go that path when other methods can still be used…"

Those words Made Kakashi uncomfortable. He could even see the power behind those eyes. But did Naruto really think that he can destroy an entire village?

"Is it with those eyes? When did you even get them?"

"This is the Rinnegan. The eyes that were once wielded by the Sage of Six Paths…" Naruto said. He stood up. "Tomorrow, I will talk to Tsunade about this situation. Kumo's letter should have reached her. We will leave together."

The Jonin didn't say anything but it was certain that Naruto knew the consequences of his actions. There was no talk of peace. Just destruction. It made Kakashi frown. He didn't get to ask why Naruto felt the need to free the Bijuus. He doubted Naruto even wanted their power. He hardly even used the Kyubi's power.

Kakashi hadn't even been able to ask more about the Rinnegan. It was a problem. But at least they had some Intel about it from what Jiraiya gave them. It wouldn't make difference though.

Another certainty was that the Elemental Nations were going to be divided over this. Smaller villages wouldn't have a problem with this. Disarming of larger villages made things a bit safe for them.

 **Konoha**

Temari had more or less expected things to go in the way that they did: Tsunade wasn't going to give into the demands on any other village. She had said almost heartlessly that Naruto was no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, thus what he did wasn't her problem. However, if there was a situation in which she had to do something to avoid a war, she would do it.

This was more or less the same position the Sand had. Gaara was willing to do anything to protect the Hidden Sand. Of course, they too had to understand the dangers that could arise in this situation. Tsunade had spelled it out clearly in a way that Temari understood too well that things could go horribly wrong with a little action.

Regardless, Sunagakure would be safe with Konoha in any position they took regarding Naruto. The Godaime Hokage was trusting Gaara to make decisions that would benefit his village and make him sleep better without putting an explosive tag on his mouth.

"Naruto was your friend, do you perhaps know more about what he might be thinking?" Temari asked Shikamaru. They were walking towards the Hokage Tower. "Have you even spoken to him after your battle with him?"

Shikamaru shook his head. Naruto was someone he had watched. He had watched the blond grow up in the hateful stares of the villagers. He had carried the burden of being the Kyubi's Jinchuriki with a lonely yet kind heart. The blond had truly been a good person who cared for his friends. Yes, he did care. He had chased after Sasuke. There was a lot that Naruto did.

One thing that had stood out with the blond back in the days had been his unpredictability and stupidity. Yes, Naruto had been both dense and stupid. That changed though. He was truly a different person from what he had been.

"I guess he does go to Sunagakure…" Shikamaru said in thought. "I have never spoken to him. He hasn't been willing to speak to any of us even though he does come to the village. Well, I can understand why he decided to leave and cut ties with us…"

Iwa had declared war on Naruto and they would not stop until he was dead. Naruto's life was in danger. If he was in Konoha, Iwa would have declared war on the Hidden Leaf. Concerned friends would be going after him to try to protect him but that would only leave then clashing with Iwa shinobi. If that happened, it would to war.

"He does come…" Temari said. "I can't sense any evil or hatred from him. He looks like a happy person."

"Ino can agree to that…" Shikamaru said.

Temari raised an eye brow. "What?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Nothing…" he said.

 **Meanwhile**

 **Leaf Gates**

"This feels like we are returning from a mission…" Kakashi said to Naruto. The journey had been a silent one. They flew back on Naruto's bird. The blond had been meditating along the way while he read his book.

"A long one like the one we did in the Snow…" Naruto said in a calm tone. "That had been one hell of a mission…" he paused. "Do you think the princess is married now?"

Kakashi stopped his reading. He didn't even hear the guards talking to him as he tackled Naruto's words and what they suggested. There was a tone he used that said he hoped she wasn't married.

"If she isn't married?"

"She was a very beautiful woman. She is also a famous person. Last time she kissed me on my cheek, I want a proper kiss…" Naruto said with a smile.

Kakashi shook his head. "She was beautiful and you did leave an impression on her. I'm sure if you visited you'd visited you'd be very welcome…" he said.

Naruto blinked. "I wasn't actually expecting a response from you…" he said. "You're always hidden in a closet…"

Kakashi smiled. It was his iconic eye smile. "We've never had a conversation like this…" he said.

"And with Jiraiya?"

"You know how he was when a woman passed by…" Kakashi said. "You stopped with Sakura, anyone new now? You're not doing anything like Jiraiya, are you?"

"No one can be like that perverted Sannin…" he said. "Perhaps I should continue with his books. I did write one of his books…" the blond nodded. "I will continue with the series…"

"Really?" Kakashi said with excitement. He had a hopeful look on his eyes.

Naruto laughed. He was tempted to say no. "Have you seen the Tsuchikage's granddaughter? I'm going to die trying to get her to like me… It will be difficult though since she looked disgusted when I asked her out…"

Kakashi laughed. He was surprised. Naruto would go that far? "Was this before or after you made your ideas known?"

"Before…" Naruto said.

He was saying that, but it was really important that Kurotsuchi likes him. If he was going to end the problems with Iwagakure, it would be through her. If he could win her over, then peace would be just a knock of a door away.

"It's going to be a tough one…" Kakashi said with a nod. Iwa had already declared Naruto an enemy.

"When do you think you will start your own family, Kakashi?"

Kakashi went silent. "I have never given it a thought…" the Jonin said with a shrug.


	15. Chapter 15

Naruto was surprised to see both Temari and Shikamaru in Tsunade's office. Shikamaru lived here, he shouldn't be surprised but Temari had left in Sunagakure days ago. She must have been here to discuss what he had told her and Gaara. Konoha was Suna's main ally, so they would obviously want to know what they think before making a concrete decision on their future.

The two were standing and so Naruto sat down on the free chair in front of Tsunade's desk. The Godaime looked irate. When he sat down, she opened a drawer and took out a bottle of sake. She hurled it towards Naruto – straight toward his face.

Naruto caught the bottle with his right hand. He didn't look at the Hokage but the bottle: it was an expensive thing. It was from the Cloud. He did buy their drinks for the Emperor's Palace.

"This is good stuff…" Naruto said calmly.

"I wanted to hit you with it!" Tsunade exclaimed with a glare.

Naruto shrugged and placed the bottle on the desk. He smiled. "It is good to see that you are still the same person I knew… it is such a pity that Jiraiya-sensei is no longer with us. I'm sure he'd still be looking at you lovingly."

Temari blinked at this exchange. This was not a normal situation. Naruto was a wanted person in this village and yet, he just walked in here and sat down as if this was his home. He certainly didn't look like he was on the run. Then again, Tsunade wasn't actively trying to catch him.

"I'm surprised that you'd just walk into this village carelessly…" Temari said to Naruto.

Naruto shrugged. "I can do it any time I want with how things are. I don't think it will be in Konoha's best interests or my interests to capture me. I guess with how things are, I shouldn't carelessly walk into this village in the open to avoid making it my accomplice…"

"With what you have put me through, I can capture you and use you as a peace offering!" Tsunade snapped.

Naruto stared at Tsunade for a long minute. He shook his head and turned his head over to Shikamaru with a raised eye brow. "Your Hokage would do that?"

Shikamaru blinked. He wasn't expecting Naruto to bring him into the conversation. The blond hadn't even acknowledged his presence when he walked into the office. Then again, he hadn't said anything to Temari.

The blonde spoke to the Uzumaki casually. It was safe to assume that when Naruto visits the Hidden Sand, conversations were not hostile. Then again, things were not hostile even now. Perhaps it was good for everyone to keep things in this manner. Who would it benefit if weapons were drawn each time they met?

Naruto wasn't going to come back to the Hidden Leaf. What he was doing made it especially a troublesome situation that could blow out of proportion if not handled carefully. Shikamaru knew this was where Tsunade's fears laid.

"If Iwa threatens war if you are not brought, she'd have no choice…" Shikamaru said.

"I don't know how you can say those cold words in a lazy tone…" Naruto said turning to face Tsunade. "You received a letter from the Raikage?"

Tsunade glared heatedly. Really, A's tone in the letter he wrote spelled anger. The man was prone to emotional outbursts. He would react in a careless manner that would provoke war if Naruto actually ended up taking the Bijuus from both villages. And this would not be well for the Hidden Leaf. Tsunade had no care for the Bijuus. Konoha has never relied on them and it would not start now.

Perhaps it would a bit of a relief if they were going to war without having to worry about the power of a Bijuu. It didn't make Naruto's right any less. She would not condone it. She couldn't stop it and she doubted voicing her thoughts into the matter would change Naruto's mind.

Still, when Naruto left village, she wasn't expecting this. She didn't even want to continue in this journey with how things were at the moment.

"He said you attempted to take one of his Jinchurikis… and you fought…" Tsunade said. "He is demanding Intel about you. I'm also guessing once they know you sit at the top of the Emperor's Palace, they will seek to destroy it."

Naruto snorted at those words. "If I wanted to remove the Bijuu inside of Yugito I would have done it. I merely went there to talk to her. He just interfered and I left him kissing the ground, unable to move. I could have killed him if I wanted to. He should even be grateful that I didn't cut off his legs…" the blond said coldly. "I only want to give the Bijuus their freedom. I will be taking that power and I will not allow anyone to take it. At the end of the day, even I will stop housing a Bijuu."

Tsunade stared. Naruto was saying he fought and defeated the Raikage. The man was a beast. If Naruto was still able to walk into both Kumo and Iwa and leave without any damage, then he was truly powerful as she had feared.

"Maybe I will believe that you don't want to use the Bijuus but if freed, what stops them from trying to get revenge? Or who will stop someone from trying to use them?"

"I have thought things over, Ba-chan…" Naruto said in a stern tone. "I know what will happen. I'm prepared for it. I will make it impossible for anyone to seal a Jinchuriki as long as I am alive. I will stop anyone and the Bijuus will be placed somewhere away from humans.

"Even as we speak, the Three-tails lives in peace. It doesn't attack anyone. it's simply resting by its own with protective measures. It has been for a couple of years. If humans to go trying to capture it, it will fight to defend itself."

"Bijuus didn't even start after shinobi villages were founded. They have been there for generations. But always stayed away from humans. It is us who started hunting them down for power. Your grandfather in particular created this problem by selling and distributing them.

"I will change this world. People just have to leave Bijuus alone and there will be no troubles. However, if you continue to hunt Bijuus for your wars, I will stand up and fight. You don't own Bijuus. You didn't create them. Claiming ownership over them is done out of ignorance and greed. But that will end."

Tsunade laughed. It was a bit mad. She had never come across anyone who preached the freedom of Bijuus. "Is this your peace?"

Naruto smiled. "It is just the first step of my peace. I will change this world. It will change. The way you do things will change. There will be consequences to your actions."

Tsunade had her eyes narrowed. There was a dangerous undertone in Naruto's words. She didn't like it one bit. She was even tempted to give Shikamaru the signal to bind the blond down. Even if it would be for a second, it would give her enough time to slam a brutal punch on his forehead and that would perhaps knock some wind out of him. Kakashi could perhaps deliver the fatal blow that could ground him.

The Godaime considered it for a second: it wasn't actually a bad plan and she could see it working. However, Naruto was still someone else. She couldn't confidently say he would be caught off-guard by any action from her.

"Did you come here for this?"

Naruto nodded. "I don't want you to misunderstand my intentions and I have spoken to the other Kages. You were the only one I had yet to speak with…" the blond said. "I thought it best to come here. I'm going to be busy for the next month or so with other business…"

"I'm sure you also want to see Konoha's position…" Shikamaru said. "You have stated your intentions but have not actually done anything. You said it yourself, your visit to Kumo wasn't for the Bijuu but to speak to the Jinchuriki. My guess is that you went there to speak to her about your intentions and gave her time to think about it as you did with the Kazekage. The Raikage probably sensed you and attacked since he must have already been warned.

"You are going through the trouble to avoid battling. But you defeated the Raikage in his own backyard. You have the power. I just don't know if you are really trying to be diplomatic in your attempts or if you are just looking for reason to let loose."

Naruto smiled. The Nara had always been bright. Naruto couldn't say he was anything like Shikamaru. The black haired Jonin was smarter than him. He knew that. It was best not to be around people like that unless they were working for you. He could really use the genius in his plans. Well, at least he had Konan. She was smart.

"What do you think?"

"Not sure but if you went through the trouble of warning them and explaining yourself, you really want things to be done without battle. You want them to think hard about their choices but it's not going to change anything on your side. You have decided and will use force if necessary.

"The Great Nations don't have a history of admitting to their faults and they have always coveted Jinchurikis. Konoha has been the exception because we have always had skilled shinobi. Nevertheless, you must know that they won't simply give away their power… If you know that, why still go through this process?"

"The Bijuus power, its not theirs…" Naruto corrected Shikamaru. "They won't but you never know with shinobi. What is wrong with trying to hope for something? If you were a Kage, would you listen to me, Shikamaru?"

"I would listen but at the same time, I would still be cautious. If you free all the Bijuus, they are indebted to you. You can command them. I'd worry about you using them against the Elemental Nations…" the Nara said. "But I know you. So, I'd trust you."

"The problem here isn't just the lack of trust but the sense of ownership the leaders have about Bijuus. Not only that, but they are not willing to listen…" Naruto said. "Perhaps I will turn out to be the bad guy. Because really, I won't give up and I will free the Bijuus."

"What happens when they continuously fight you?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto smiled. There was no battle that didn't end. Things would end. Naruto would end them any means necessary. He wasn't above removing the Kages from their positions if it suited his ideals. Perhaps his peace was corrupted in that manner.

"Wars are not fought forever." He said before standing up. "One way or the other, they eventually end." He said that walking over towards the door. He waved his right hand and disappeared via gusts of winds.

"Those words of his gave me a chill…" Temari said.

"That was perhaps the intended effect…" Kakashi said. "Wars don't always end with a victor, but sometimes end in draw. But there is always bloodshed. Naruto doesn't have an army, so he cannot speak of war. But if Kumo and Iwa fight him, there will be bloodshed. Because he just said he would use any means necessary to end it."

"But can he?" Tsunade asked. "If they kill him, it will be a race to capture Bijuus once more and that might leave this world in a state of war. We might even have to interfere for our own security…"

This was something that Temari didn't think she'd witness after coming here. It was interesting to see that they were still willing to draw the line with Naruto but she still couldn't determine if they thought the actions of the blond were right or wrong. The main concern was how it affected the Hidden Leaf.

Wasn't this something her brother had said? Temari could remember it well. Her brother had told her that Naruto complained that shinobi villages cared more for what was good for themselves than what was right.

"Aren't you missing the big picture?" Temari asked, looking at the Godaime Hokage.

"What?"

"What is the right thing to do in this situation? What is morally right? You can't correct what is right. It looks like we don't care about what is right only care about our safety." The blonde kunoichi shook her head. "Before any of this, Naruto's message to Gaara was justice. The moral of this situation would be to show concern for other nations. It should not be about allies, but about what is right."

Perhaps that was a principle Kakashi would align with his teachings. He did teach his team to do what was right. Just because they were shinobi and killed didn't mean they had to ignore everything that was morally right for the sake of a mission. A mission was important but the right thing was to save for your friends if they were in trouble even if it would put the mission in danger.

Kakashi had seen it. He had experienced both situations. His father had saved his comrades and the mission failed. He had been a bitch of the rules and had been willing to abandon his friends for the sake of a mission.

If Naruto really looked at things in such a way, then Kakashi wouldn't have a problem with the blond. "I wonder why he didn't say anything to me about it…" the Jonin said in thought.

"It is likely because at some time, Naruto will be willing to do wrong things. We have seen it that what is right doesn't always succeed. In this world, only winners are right…" Tsunade said in thought. "I don't know if our world can truly accept this principle. The result has always been our concern."

 **Yamanaka Compound**

In her room – Naruto. This was the first man to enter into her room. Ino had never even welcomed a boy in her house. She went to dates and went around, but she had never taken anyone to her house. Then again, she had never been serious about anyone. Naruto hadn't been invited either. He just showed up.

But she wasn't mad. She was happy he was here. She was happy to see his face. Maybe if he had still been living in this village, she would be inviting him to meet her parents. Oh, wait. They were not like that, were they?

The thought made her smile sadly. Where was this even going to end? She had to think about it. It had been just fun at the beginning. But she liked being around this person. She liked him. She wouldn't go as far to say that she loved him. She didn't but she did like him because he has been happiness to her.

"For a moment there I thought you were just waiting for me…" Naruto said, seeing Ino's silence. "But now I see that you are not. Were you waiting for someone else?" he asked in a light tone.

Ino sat up on her bed and stared at the blond for a long minute before asking. "And what if I was?"

Naruto took out a kunai and held it firmly. He put on a expressionless mask before speaking in a cold tone. "Are you cheating on me, woman?"

At this, Ino giggled heartedly. "Hey, I don't even know if you are faithful to me."

"I wouldn't be here if there was any other tree I could plant…" Naruto said calmly. "I do flirt, but my last attempt was rejected ruthlessly…"

Ino laughed, just trying to imagine Naruto flirt. "You got what you deserved. You can't be flirting when you have me…"

"I didn't deserve it, Ino. The woman looked disgusted. It hurt my pride and confidence…"

"You don't seem to be lacking any now…" Ino said with a raised eye brow.

Naruto smiled. "Well, I figured you like strong men. If I acted all weak and sissy, you'd dump me in the blink an eye."

"I'm not that ruthless!"

"My memory of you at a younger age disagrees with that…" Naruto said.

"The young you disagreed with everything!"

Naruto just smiled. "Well, I guess I wasn't that appealing and you were the cool kid. And you hanged around cool kids."

"Yeah…" Ino said. She then softened her gaze… "Say, Naruto, what are we? Am I your girlfriend? This has been fun, but you know, I want to hang out, go out on dinner, maybe go see a movie with you. I can't do that and it makes me feel sad."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a few moments. He had too many thoughts in his head. He went over to the bed and settled on the edge with his eyes staring at the wooden floor.

That was a relationship. He was having fun with Ino: that was what he put into thought. He hadn't put anything else on the agenda. But this was a subject he couldn't ignore it now, could he?

Ino had a life. He too had a life. He wanted to be happy but he didn't think of settling down. Not in his kind of life. If he thought of doing that, he would be forced to alter things just for the sake of family.

While Naruto was still in thought, Ino crawled over to him. She hugged him from behind. Her chest was pressed against his back. Her hold on him was tight.

"Whether its hot or cold, your body is always warm…" Ino said in a quiet tone. "Do you think we can ever live happily, Naruto? Even when you are no longer a Leaf shinobi?"

"I don't know Ino… I don't know…" Naruto responded in the same tone as Ino.

"Why don't we give it a try? If we fail, we tried. No hard feelings."

Naruto went silent for a couple of moments before nodding his head. "It will be difficult because I am always moving around the Elemental Nations. I will especially be very busy in the coming weeks. But I will try to make time to take you out, watch the sunset at the Hokage Monument with you…"

 **Two Weeks Later**

 **The Village Hidden in Rain**

Amegakure wasn't the biggest of the smaller villages but it was certainly a huge village. Perhaps its population could be compared to that of the Great Nations. It however, lacked in terms of raw power. The village certainly didn't have the same strength as the other nations. But if its shinobi ranks were raised, and it fought big battles, its leader could end up being recognized as a Kage.

That was a huge mountain though. The current Five Kages were happy with their balance. Five was a good number, but six could split things.

But if he based himself in this village, had the trains starting from this point, it could work. Ame was already an industrial village, once he gets the blueprints, he could have the village monopolize the new transport system. It however would be under the ownership of the Uzumaki. For added pressure, he could parade as the leader of Ame. Just in name only to add some weight on his name.

Konan walked into the office that was hers but was now sharing it with Naruto. Her tower would be finished soon. There were just a couple of things they needed to handle before things could be set for her to move back.

But in the meantime, she occupied this building for her duties as the leader of Amegakure. Naruto didn't speak much when they were in this office. He hardly spoke. He was always writing and reading letters. Some were instructions and future plans. Sometimes he just stared blankly at papers for about an hour before tearing up the blank pages in some frustrations. It was a scene that occurred every day.

Konan sat in front of Naruto and gave him a stare. "Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

Naruto's response wasn't immediate. He took some time to lift his eyes to meet Konan's. "I'm not a genius. But I'm trying to draw proper plans for the future so that I don't steer away from what I have to do. I'm also drawing up all connections I have to make a network I can use for the effectiveness of my trade business. You need suppliers and customers. You need your target market and study the demand of your products. Its like studying economics.

"That aside, I need a proper structure for my business. If I am going to stay here, I also need to understand the risks that will come for both the business and this village."

Konan stared before shaking her head. Naruto had a list of priorities. He had much in his plans. Nagato's goal had been simply to control things with a powerful weapon that could take out everything in existence. But Naruto wanted to dominate in terms of physical power. He wanted to weaken the great nations and insert himself as the dominant force. He also wanted to control the economic side of things.

Very soon he was going to try to dictate how people behaved in the Elemental Nations. Wait, wasn't it the purpose of all this? To change how shinobi lived?

"If you explain things to me clearly, I will try to work out things for you…"

Naruto thought about it for a moment before smiling. "Well, we are partners." He said. "I have sent messages to most leaders of the small nations. I will present myself as the leader of Amegakure and try to unite them under one banner. They don't like each other but if I can unite them under the Uzumaki Trading Company, we can work out something significant. They should respond soon.

"In the meantime, I will go look for a piece that could be useful to guarding the Uzumaki Tower once its finished. After that, I will travel to the Land of Snow. To try to finish things with the trains."

"When are you going to start?"

"Iwagakure and then Suna. I should have displayed my strength to them. Perhaps I will also bring Gaara into the picture if we are on good terms. Of course, this will require counter intelligence to ensure that nothing leaks to the wrong people."

 **Unknown Location**

Guren looked at the teenage boy training in front of her with a smile. Perhaps things wouldn't have been different if she hadn't run off. No, Yukimaru would have ended up getting killed by Orochimaru pushing him beyond his limits. The snake Sannin hadn't cared much for the people he viewed simply as test subjects. She would know, she had disposed of many of them in the past.

She has been training this boy over the last couple of years. He was weak and fragile, but she wanted him to at least be able to be able to defend himself or run off to get help if possible. She wanted to protect him because she loved him and had her regrets.

She had yet to even tell Yukimaru about what she did to his mother. Maybe making her doing those kind of things was Orochimaru's way of trying to keep her under control.

Either way, she was now free. She wasn't sad that Orochimaru wasn't there to ruin everything. She was a little sad he was dead. Despite everything, she had worshipped the man through and through and would have given up her body for him.

Guren suddenly stood up when she sensed a massive chakra close by her. She only had a small house behind her. They were surrounded by a large forest with a small clearing that was used for training purposes.

She has so far been living in peace in this place. No one came here. Yet this person was here. This person wasn't even trying to hide their presence. They were more or less letting her know they were here. Guren couldn't let this person know where she was located exactly.

She walked over to Yukimaru and gave him a smile. "I'm going to check someone, stay here, okay?"

Yukimaru looked at the woman. He could tell there was something wrong. But he trusted Guren. Her trusted her deeply. "Is something wrong?"

Guren shook her head. She maintained her smile. She wasn't sure if there was something wrong. Orochimaru was dead. No one should be looking for her. "Nothing is wrong. I will be back shortly…"

Well, she did have to go away sometimes to get supplies. It was perhaps one of the difficult things she had to do. But this place was surrounded by traps that would make even Orochimaru proud. That at least gave her some level of comfort.

 **With Naruto**

Naruto was walking through the forest in a leisurely pace, hands inside his coat. He looked absent minded, not worried about his surrounding. Then again, he could hardly sense any human in this place. If he took in natural energy, he would be able to sense the humans around but he chose not to. Just to wind up the clock.

'Naruto…' Kurama called the blond. When Naruto appeared before the Bijuu it spoke. 'What do you think will happen when the likes of the Hidden Stone learn that you are uniting the small villages with Amegakure?'

'Onoki will assume I'm acting on their behalf to try to level the scores. Once this trade business hits the ground, he will likely wage war against the small villages. You have to know that they surround the Earth country. The Stone cannot go to any of the other Great Nations without passing their borders. Onoki will likely feel trapped and as if I am after something.

'If he wages war, he will lose it. I will protect my allies and crush Onoki. He will live of course, but his men will perish. Each time, he tries it, I will crush them until he finally gives way for Kurotsuchi. I will continue my play with her until I am able to sit with her without fireworks…'

'What do you think Konoha will do about this?'

'Try to play the moral high ground?' Naruto said a bit carelessly.

'You're be coming a little evil in your thinking. You don't even tell people the full truth…' Kurama said. 'Either way, just be prepared. Your recent activities might take you back when you actually have to kill people. You are being too kind. It will haunt you when your name is associated with death…'

'That will only happen as the last resort. For now, we are being diplomatic. But if things don't work out. We can be evil incarnate…' Naruto said with a shrug. 'I will be ready for it…' he paused. 'We have a guest.'

'You're the guest in this situation.' Kurama said.

Naruto didn't offer a response to the Bijuu. His eyes looked ahead of him. Guren wasn't ahead though, she was standing on a tree branch. He just didn't want to look up.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

Naruto raised his right hand. He made motions with his fingers and the branch Guren was standing on was cut. The woman didn't lose her balance as she was dragged to the ground. She landed gracefully.

"Guren: you are a woman who once worked for Orochimaru… doing despicable things with a sadistic smile, just like your former master. You have killed people, taken loved ones mercilessly. I have come here to rip apart that boy you care for as revenge for the actions you took…" Naruto said, leaking a doze of killing intent.

Guren's instincts were telling her to run away because this was dangerous. They were screaming loudly. Not even Orochimaru frightened her like this and she had thought there was no one more powerful than the snake Sannin.

Revenge? At this point, Guren felt no remorse for her past actions, except only for killing Yukimaru's mother. It was true she did many things, but she would not let anything happen to her or the buy she treated as her son. This person was dangerous, she knew that, but she could not run away. He already knew she had Yukimaru.

Guren forced herself to stand firmly. She took a stance. "I can't let anything happen to Yukimaru. I can't let you do anything to him."

"Then I shall sadistically torture you to death…" Naruto in an emotionless tone as her took steps towards Guren.

Guren gritted her teeth. This wasn't what she wanted but she had no choice. She would fight for her survival. She would kill for Yukimaru's safety. Anyone who threatened him didn't deserve to live.

"Bansho Ten'in." There was so much power behind the jutsu that Guren felt like she had been yanked by this violent force that had nearly crushed her body when it hit her. It took a second for her throat to be brutally gripped by the iron hand of Naruto. The hold was so tight, she was struggling to breathe. She tried kicking out to be freed as oxygen felt her lungs, her heart beating violently in fear of death.

Naruto slammed her to the ground. The force buried her down and he pressed her further by slamming his right foot on her gut. Guren reacted to this attack by crying painfully.

The blond took out his sword and in the blink of an eye, the blade pierced through Guren's right shoulder, pinning her to the ground. The marks on the blade lit up brightly.

Naruto bent over and stared at Guren's eyes. Once more, her grabbed her by her throat and started to strangle her. She kicked out, making some muffed sounds in her struggle. When she seemed to be losing energy, he let her go.

"You are afraid to die yet you have killed many people. Even the mother of the very same child you love. What a despicable and selfish woman you are. Don't brutalize, if you fear being brutalized. If you kill, torture, abuse, always expect that the same can be done to you…" he paused, and then teared her upper clothes. The woman quickly put her left hand over chest to try to cover her breasts.

She glared hatefully and attempted to spit on the blond but he avoided it.

"This is a cruel world. You should know that. Woman are raped in the deep forests and in their homes by bandits. you caused many pain, its only fair if you suffer the same humiliation before you are killed."

Not in a million thoughts did she ever think this would happen. This was humiliating, embarrassing and it made her furious. Yet, she was powerless. She couldn't do anything. This man was going to rape her. This cold hearted piece of trash for a human was going to violate her. She was losing power gradually.

Yukimaru…

"Kyaa!"

Naruto twisted his blade seeing tears roll out of Guren's eyes. "You have no right to cry after everything you have done…" He said before standing up, hands on his coat. He was taking it off… "Now then, let me enjoy myself." He smiled sickly seeing her murderous gaze. "I will be gentle…"

"Bastard! You worthless piece of trash!"

Naruto didn't remove his coat. He smiled. And removed his sword from Guren's shoulder. He swung it once before sheathing it.

"I'm not a morally crippled person like you…" he said with disgust. "I want you to experience what other people feel when horrible people like you above them. Tell me, would you wish for that boy or anyone you love to experience such a thing?"

Guren stared. She was relieved. But she was still bear chested. It was embarrassing. Naruto noticed it and threw her his coat.

"Do not do things to other people you don't wish for them to do to you. You evil people always fear pain and dying, yet you sadistically make other people suffer. I wanted you to feel it too. It's not pleasant. It is wrong. And you must pay for it." Naruto said in a stern tone. "Work for me to pay for what you have done. I'm not giving you a choice. If you refuse, I will tell the boy what you did to his mother and then kill you."

He took out a small scroll and threw it at Guren. "Go to this place. They will welcome you. Take the boy with you. He will have a pleasant life and you will still get to watch over him while repenting."

Without saying anything else, Naruto twisted around and started to walk away from Guren.

'That was sick.' Kurama said.

'I have to agree with you on that one. I feel horrible.' Naruto said with disgust. 'But I could not use an illusion. She had to experience it. She can't change if she doesn't know what other people feel. Besides, if has been able to love that boy, then she isn't completely heartless. She will change in time.'

'I was starting to think that perhaps all this talk of doing good had twisted you that you no longer had what it takes.'

'With people like her? I have seen what Orochimaru does and she was an accomplice of his. She did not deserve anything less than that. I could not take it easy on her and start preaching.' Naruto said in a flat tone. 'That solves that. When we come back from the snow, we show Iwagakure who is god.'

'You sound excited even though you have been doing everything to avoid battles…' Kurama said.

'There has been no fight worth fighting.' Naruto said. 'My opponents so far can easily be crushed. I do admit Kumo might be difficult because of the Raikage's speed but Iwa shouldn't threaten us with failure.'

'Just make sure arrogance doesn't lead to your downfall…'

Downfall? There would be no such. If he fell before the dream was realized, everything would have been for nothing. The torment he put his body through, the mental beatings he gave himself. Naruto would not forgive himself. He would not forgive death.

'Well, if I lose myself, I have you to pull me back up to the right path…' Naruto said with a smile.

 **Konoha**

Back in the Hidden Leaf once more. Sasuke had mixed feelings about his return to this village. He wasn't here to stay. He was just coming here to see things since he couldn't get a hold of Naruto. It would have been pleasant to hear of the blond's thoughts before coming here. He'd also wanted to spar with the blond to test his Mangekyo Sharingan's power.

Sasuke had left his team at the Emperor's Palace. They would head out to another location where he would meet with them in a couple of days. For now, he had a mission in this village.

Sasuke the village one last look from the Hokage Monument before vanishing into thin air.

The moment the Uchiha appeared in in Tsunade's office, he was surrounded by five Anbu who had their weapons drawn. The Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan blazed coldly as she stared into the eyes of the Godaime Hokage.

Tsunade adopted a stern look seeing the Uchiha. She had nothing to say to Sasuke. The Leaf was fine without him. She wasn't looking for more trouble than what it was worth. Either way, the raven head was before her and it couldn't be because he wanted to return, not with the way he was looking at her.

The Slug Princess sighed tiredly. She already had Naruto as a problem. She didn't need this. Though, Sakura would certainly be happy to see her beloved. At the thought, Tsunade snorted with distaste.

"I wish to speak to you, Hokage…" Sasuke more or less demanded from the Godaime Hokage. His tone was flat, expression without any emotion.

Tsunade stared for a long minute before shaking her head. She motioned for the Anbu to leave. "What do you want?"

For now, she had no desire to try to get the Uchiha back to the village. She had none of that. There were bigger problems than Sasuke. Perhaps if he was involved in something, then she would be inclined to fight.

"What do you know about the Uchiha massacre?"

Tsunade blinked. That was an odd question. No, It wasn't odd. This was the last member of that clan. "I wasn't associated with Konoha when it happened. You'd have to speak to the Sandaime or Danzo… but unfortunately, none of them are alive…"

Sasuke frowned deeply. He could tell Tsunade really didn't know anything. It was just as he was told, very few people knew about it and apparently the people who knew about it were all dead. Someone still had to pay. Was it Konoha which had to face hia revenge? It was for this very village that Itachi gave away his clan.

But wouldn't destroying Konoha undo Itachi's sacrifice? Someone still had to pay.

"Your expression tells me that there is something that I don't know… are you willing to tell me?" Tsunade asked.

Sasuke thought about it for a moment. "Who else worked wit-"

There was a major explosion that occurred in the village before Sasuke could finish talking. The explosion nearly shook the village and both Tsunade and Sasuke were alarmed by it. Sasuke didn't stay around for too long before disappearing from the office.

Tsunade disappeared off to the top of the Hokage tower. Her Anbu surrounded her within seconds.

The Godaime saw a large mushroom of debris and flamea where the hospital used to stand. Her eyes widened in shock as fear gripped her.

"What happened?" she demanded in a loud tone.

"The hospital… it has been involved in an explosion…"

"I can see that!" Tsunade snapped. "What happened?!" She demanded once more.

"We don't know as yet…"

Tsunade 't'ched' furiously before darting away from the rooftop. She appeared close to the mess where debris was falling, people screaming in fear and many crying for those who were in the hospital. Shinobi had surrounded the building.

Tsunade ordered civilians away from the place and other buildings. It took a couple of minutes for everything to calm down. Once it did, the entire hospital had been destroyed.

Tsunade cursed loudly at this brutal assault. It was a cold hearted move that was just inhuman. This was worse than attacking their food supply. But attacking their sick and wounded. It was a sick move. The person who did this just wanted them to suffer. This was an act of war.

"I want suspects brought before me in an hour!" Tsunade roared before ordering medical nins to start searching for survivors in the debris.

 **About an hour later**

Perhaps it wasn't a good time to rejoice but Sakura was honestly happy seeing Sasuke standing in the Hidden Leaf. There were many people who had died. Some where he patients. She should be saddened and angry over whoever orchestrated this attack. But seeing her beloved Sasuke had made things 'happy.'

She had tried to talk to him, but he had ignored her. He had done it so flatly. Sakura blamed the Anbu who were visibly around him, watching him as if he was the one who planned this horrendous attack on the Leaf.

"Someone is going to have sweet dreams today…" Ino whispered into Sakura's ear.

The Yamanaka was a little excited to see the Uchiha but not so excited she would jump on him as she would have done when she was younger. He still looked cool but she had Naruto. She would not speculate on who was better, but at least Naruto made her feel like a girl.

Sasuke had truly grown. He was still a beautiful man but that cold indifferent look on his face just reminded Ino of the brooding boy she had admired.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke – who was standing a distance away from them. "Maybe…" she said. She didn't bother denying it.

"I thought you were going to deny it…" Ino said with disappointment.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Ino. I have grown…"

"Well most of you has grown…" Ino said staring. She glanced at Sakura's chest for a moment. "Naruto was here a couple of days ago and now you have Sasuke. We know Naruto isn't going to come back but there might be hope for Sasuke. Just convince him to stay for her night and who knows, maybe things can happen for you…"

It took a couple of seconds for Sakura to get Ino's message. When she did, she blushed madly. "W-what are you suggesting, Ino?"

Ino grinned. "Why are you blushing, naughty Sakura?"

 **Meanwhile**

Tsunade was staring at a white humanoid creature – well at least what was left of it. There were a couple of them and they all looked the same. Same body structure, same composition. It almost looked like they were clones. These things were responsible for bombing up the hospital and they had come from the underground. It was ridiculous but it was why nobody caught anything until caused this disaster.

The loss of life aside, the village was in panic mode because there was another chance an attack like this could happen again. It could. The villagers had this thought. The person responsible hadn't even been caught and they didn't know has caused it in the first place.

It was a nightmare of a situation but Tsunade doubted it had anything to do with Kumo or Iwa. They wouldn't attack Konoha like this. Someone else had done this.

"I don't suppose you know something about this…" Tsunade said, with a hardened gaze staring at Sasuke.

The Uchiha shook his head. "No…" he said before twisting away. "But I think I know who did it…" just like that, he disappeared from sight.

Just outside of Konoha

"Sasuke!" Kakashi called the Uchiha who was speeding away from the village.

Sasuke stopped and waited for the Jonin. He didn't have anything to say to Kakashi. But perhaps the man could tell him a couple of things about Naruto.

"Do you know where Naruto is? I was told he was in this village…"

Kakashi looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "He spoke about seeing the Snow country. I don't know if he went there or not…"

Sasuke wasn't going to visit the Snow. The land was far away from here. Besides, he had a lead to follow regarding the attack on Konoha just now. He knew there was something familiar about those white clones and he would investigate until he gets to the bottom of it.

"Why did Naruto leave Konoha?"

"He said something about changing the world for the better and peace…" Kakashi said. "Sasuke…"

The Uchiha was no longer listening to the Jonin. "Perhaps we might have something to talk about…" the Uchiha said. He turned around, giving Kakashi his back. "Turn to the Leaf, Kakashi. I think I might know who attacked it…" he blasted off after those words left his lips.

Kakashi could have given chase but there more much more important things to do than chasing after the Uchiha.

 **Within the sea**

Black Zetsu looked around the room he could categorize as a throne room. Naruto was sitting on the throne, it was dark, his head was resting on the palm of his left hand. It looked as if he was sleeping with his eyes closed.

"Truly like an emperor…" He said to the blond. "But one without subjects. Or do you perhaps consider the Elemental Nations as your subjects?"

Naruto's eyes opened slightly. "I had a feeling that someone was snooping around here…" he said. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Those eyes you stole…" Zetsu said. "But you are not going to give them back, so this is going to happen… You dream is peace, but you will not see that. I will drive the Elemental Nations into war and people will die. The Great Five will fight. This world will be thrown into chaos and it will not stop until you hand over the Rinnegan. If you have freed all the Bijuus by then, it will be even better."

"Really?"

"I have already attacked the Hidden Leaf… you don't need to take my word for it, I will make it happen…"

Naruto watched Zetsu walk away without saying a word. He hadn't revealed any of his emotions. There was no need. Whether this person was telling the truth or not would not change anything. He was still going on with his plans and he would not give away the Rinnegan.

But would need to speak to Konan about this because surely this person had connections with the organization and was still driving the agenda. He would not let it happen.

Naruto had a plan and regardless of what happens, he would see it through. He could watch a war happen and only interfere to end up and also ensure that Bijuus don't take part in any of it. Perhaps it was those kind of conditions that came after war that would permit him to manipulate things easily.

The Elemental Nations would be reeling and crying over their losses. He could move in their time of need and wrap his hands around them.

Naruto shook his head, smiling bitterly. 'Have I really become this indifferent, Kurama? I think of nothing to loss of lives that could happen if war does happen. I am even willing to take advantage of it with cold efficiency.'

'You just need to think about what you can do now.'

Naruto nodded. 'The Snow then. We will have to go back to the emperor's palace when we return. I have a feeling there will be much happening that we will have missed.'

'Likely.'

'But this problem. How do we deal with it?'

 **Konoha**

Still no answers on who attacked the Hidden Leaf. Tsunade was on a bad mood. A coward. An immoral person with no heart had orchestrated this attack right under her nose. The Anbu didn't see anything. She didn't see anything. People died. The village was in shock. The situation was tense. The villagers were demanding blood. Someone had to pay for this. But there were no answers coming. She only had those clones. Nothing. No one was taking responsibility.

She couldn't accuse either Kumo or Iwagakure of this attack. She didn't have proof. But they both were suspects. If only Jiraiya was here. If he was here, he'd have information. But he was dead. She was alone in this mess. In this village her grandfather founded and the person who brought her here had abandoned her and the Leaf.

Things were on edge. The Elemental Nations were on edge. It wouldn't be surprising if shinobi start attacking each other when they come across each other during missions. The situation out there would be dangerous. Genins couldn't leave the village. It wasn't safe. If things get any worse, she didn't know what might happen.

Perhaps war. Perhaps not.

At this moment, Tsunade missed Danzo. He would have had something to say. Something to do. He always had a plan. And they were always evil. No doubt he would suggest they target Kumo and Iwa's hospitals. Just to even things out.

If something like that were to happen, she'd have both Iwa and Kumo marching to this village in vengeance. They were already on her case over Naruto's actions. Now this. The enemy was laughing. In her pain. In the Leaf's pain. It was unforgivable. Unforgettable.

One of her fears had been that Sakura might try to run after Sasuke once she learned that he was around and then left. With how the girl was infatuated with the Uchiha, it was truly something else that she had chosen to remain behind and complete her duties. Tsunade hadn't bothered trying to look for the Uchiha. She didn't need a Sasuke problem now. She had a bigger problem.

The Godaime looked up when Kakashi walked into the office along with Shizune. The black haired woman looked worn out. Her footsteps were even heavy. She threw herself on the couch in the office and laid still. Tsunade didn't bother her. In times of emergencies, medics worked around the clock. Those who were skilled were especially burdened. They had a duty to save lives. A duty to stop death. Playing god? No, they healed what was possible to heal.

"What did you find?" Tsunade asked Kakashi.

He was her only champion now. Jiraiya wasn't here. Naruto wasn't here. Sasuke wasn't here. If the blond had stayed, he would have turned out to be one of Konoha's greatest assets. But he was roaming around the Elemental Nations sowing seeds of panic and confusion. The Uchiha was likely to try to join him if they had something in common. It was unlikely, but she didn't know anything these days about those two.

At any rate, Kakashi was her best piece. She could not discount the likes of Gai. Neji had to be in the picture. The Hyuga was perhaps the best Jonin of is generation. The honours would have gone to either Sasuke or Naruto, but they abandoned the Leaf.

"Nothing. There was nothing. Not a damn thing." Kakashi said. He had gone through the situation with the Anbu. There was no trace of shinobi from their village or any other village leaving evidence on the scene. At this rate, it was safe to say whoever did this was very skilled.

"I see…" Tsunade said in a subdued tone. "For something of this scale, you'd think we'd be able to find some evidence that links any other village."

"There is something, it just doesn't lead us to anything…"

"Don't remind me." Tsunade said sharply. "I will have to study it. Shizune is already working on it. She shall have something in the coming days." She said. "Who do you think could do something like this? I have already informed Suna but I am sure Kumo and Iwa will know about it soon. I want to see their reaction."

"Perhaps it will be more suitable if the Kages gather…" Kakashi suggested.

"I have already discussed it with Shikaku. For now, we need to focus on restoring order in the village. Once things have calmed, we will look elsewhere…" Tsunade said. "What did Sasuke say to you?"

"Nothing much…" Kakashi said with a shake of his head. "He enquired about Naruto and then said he had an idea about who did it before leaving me. I'm surprised he'd come here…"

"Before the explosion went off, he was standing before me, demanding answers regarding the Uchiha massacre…" Tsunade said. "What do you know?"

"Just that it was Itachi who did it. I don't understand the reasons…" Kakashi said. "The Leaf hadn't been in a very good relationship with the Uchiha then. The clan was being pushed away from the village by Danzo and some people suspected they were the ones who manipulated the Kyubi."

"I'm familiar with that." Tsunade said. "Well at least he didn't appear like he wanted to fight."

Kakashi nodded. "What happens if it is Iwagakure?"

"We will go to war."

 **-Scene Break-**

Ino had a love for her home. Without doubt about it. But she wanted Naruto. She wanted to be with him. He wasn't living in this village. He was somewhere doing his things. It would certainly cause problems for her family if she decided to make a run with him. Then again, she didn't think that he'd be happy with her following her. Her father would at most be heartbroken. Her poor father. Ino didn't want to hurt him like that.

Naruto's activities were dangerous. Ino wasn't concerned much about it. She didn't even question him about it. But she understood that following him would mean following his path. Those after Naruto would be after her. A dangerous life. A life of running away. There was no fun. Perhaps some thrills but for how long? Of course she wanted a family. She had already grown. Her friends had grown. She had to think about it.

Ino glanced at Shikamaru: he was lying down, head resting on both hands, facing the heavens. He seemed content. She did wonder, did he also think about a family of his own? Temari had been around. They spent some time together, but that had been it.

Lately, the Nara has been spending time in the Hokage's office. The situation called for it. Her teammate was a smart person after all. Perhaps he was also being used for insight on Naruto.

Ino followed Shikamaru's example and laid down. She felt at peace. There air around was relaxing. There was no noise. It was pleasant. No sound of Chouji munching chips or grinding a piece of steak. An added bonus.

They could forget that the village had been in panic mode yesterday. The hospital crumbled down in an explosion. People died. People were angry. People wanted someone to pay. They wanted revenge. Some wanted justice. There were many emotions. At least today was calm. But there was still fear. Fear that another attack might come.

And yet, they were here, ignoring the world. Ignoring everything around them to enjoy some peace.

"I almost certain that Sakura would run after Sasuke…" Ino said to Shikamaru.

The Nara didn't glance at the blonde. He spoke without looking at her. "She has also grown you know."

"I know. I just thought she would have failed to control herself given her desire for him. You know he was here and no one seemed to care for him."

It was slightly ironic and laughable. A couple of years ago, a team had nearly been killed chasing after him. Her friends had come back with fatal injuries. Naruto himself had nearly been killed by the Uchiha. And yet, when he comes back, no one attempted to do anything. They even let him leave without anyone trying to get him to stay. He did appear to have a couple of words with Tsunade though. But nothing she knew.

"Sasuke couldn't have changed the situation. A hospital had exploded. So many people inside… they were more important than Sasuke. The Godaime could have just assumed he wasn't here for trouble." Shikamaru said. "If we are going to measure his strength in the same length as with Naruto, trying to capture would have just given us more problems."

That made sense. Still, this whole situation was troubling. "What is going to happen now?"

Shikamaru was silent. The situation was just troublesome. Even his father didn't appear to have an appetite for it but they had to dig in anyway.

War was coming. Unless things change quickly, they would be fighting bloody battles. If it was going to be Kumo and Iwagakure versus Konoha, they would lose that war. There would be massive losses for the Hidden Leaf. It wasn't a sure thing nevertheless. There was a chance that they might not have that war but it was a possibility.

Shikamaru couldn't guess what Sasuke would do in that war. His reasons for leaving had been for power. Revenge. Nobody knew if he has already achieved any of those things. But since he was moving, he was likely to have done so. Naruto wasn't a problem. He had a good idea on what Naruto would do if forces started to march over to the Hidden Leaf or if the Hidden Leaf took action first.

"The village is going to be careful. I doubt genins will be allowed to leave the village now. We don't know who orchestrated the attacks but perhaps the Kages will meet to discuss what will happen next…" Shikamaru said. Not everyone would be willing to go to war like this. An attempt to remedy things via a Kage summit would be necessary.

"I wonder if Naruto will fight for Konoha…" Ino said in thought. That would make things easier for her if he wasn't an enemy of the Hidden Leaf.

 **End of chapter**

 **I've been reluctant to write out Mei but I have finally done it. That should please a few readers. I replaced her with her. I kind of like what she has with Naruto. To ruin it would be great injustice.**


	16. Chapter 16

Naruto was sitting on a tree branch, overlooking a bandit camp. It was within the fire nation, not far away from his beloved Emperor's Palace. He hadn't thought that people would be brave enough to set up a camp in this site. Not when shinobi were a good distance away. They were probably targeting the many goods that were transported into the place every week. Too many people took comfort in the palace, they had to be fed. Those who lived for fun came here. Women. Men – young and old. They visited the palace.

For scums, it was a perfect opportunity to target the defenceless. It wasn't like every shinobi who saw it would do something about it. Many of the shinobi who visited this place lacked moral integrity. They were corrupted individuals who wouldn't think twice about ignoring a cry for help. And these scums made him rich. It was ridiculous but Naruto wouldn't stop taking their money. To even think about it would be pure madness.

The camp at least didn't have kidnapped woman and children. They had valuables they had stolen somewhere. These corrupted bastards. Naruto loathed them. He felt nothing but contempt for such people. When they attacked a defenceless village they always plundered everything. They raped and killed the woman. They took what they could take. If they were sadists, they would top it up by burning the village once they have sucked out its life and everything it was worth.

Parasites

These were the kind of people Naruto wouldn't have a problem killing. They were a stain in the world. They caused nothing but pain and despair wherever they touched. In here, they were threatening his customers. His business. He couldn't just tell them to go away. They'd go cause chaos somewhere. There would be no mercy. They just had to be removed. From this world. It was minus a problem.

Wars weren't the only thing that ruined this world. Perhaps in the world of shinobi, it was the bigger problem. But for civilians, it was nothing. They only experienced the despair if their loved once fight in the war. If not, they didn't know. They lived peacefully. But these kind of people were criminals. They were terrorists. Shinobi didn't worry about them because they were weak. But every now and then you had a strong shinobi leading them.

Naruto jumped down from the tree and started walking towards the camp in a leisurely pace. He would normally try to destroy everything with a lightning jutsu. It would erase everything. But he wanted to look into the eyes of these people. He didn't need to worry about traps or sneaking in. he could walk in through the gates. They were weak. He had concluded as much after observing them.

His presence was quickly noted when he stepped into the camp. There were around 20 samurais – people from the Land of Ice. They were in the shinobi world to make a treacherous living. Sick.

"Oi, what are you doing here?" Swords were being carried in case he made a wrong move. It was almost laughable.

"I came to remove you from the face of this world." Naruto responded in a cold tone.

The man who had asked him the question walked toward him, his sword being handled carefully. They couldn't tell he was a shinobi because he didn't wear a forehead protector. "Listen, I don't know wh…" the man's words died on his throat. His eyes widened in fear as he arrived close to Naruto. A dose of killing intent completely froze him.

Naruto took a step closer and grabbed the man by his face. He was squeezing hard. He lifted the man up into the air. A couple of seconds later, the skull shattered. Naruto had crushed it with his bare hand. He then dropped the body to the ground.

The others quickly charged towards him.

Naruto didn't waste time with them. He cut them up one by one with their own swords until it was just one remaining. He didn't take more than a minute cutting them up.

"It must be nice being you: you get to watch your lackeys cut down while you make a run for it." Naruto said in a casual tone, slowly walking towards the man who had been trying to run away. "How many years have you been in this kind of service?"

The man looked at him slowly backing away. Eyes wide, bathed in fear. This was a shinobi. He could feel death coming his way. Pleas hadn't done it. He knew when someone couldn't be bought. Then again, when shinobi came to see them, they came for death. There was never a time for negotiation unless they were dealing with rogue shinobi.

He was trembling with fear. This person was giving him the kind of pressure that made it difficult for him to swallow or even look at those hypnotic eyes. If he could, he would have been on his knees apologizing. But he could not. With Naruto so close, his body froze. He stopped back peddling

When he didn't receive any response, Naruto took a single blind step and grabbed the man by his throat. He started to strangle the man slowly. The legs kicked out as the man struggled to break free, making muffed sounds. He could see the life of the man fading. It was a frightening sight. Something that twisted his insides. It tested his resolve. Even when his heart was beating a bit quickly, Naruto didn't let go until something snapped. He dropped the body.

"You truly are a cold hearted bastard." Guren said as the body dropped to the ground. She was walking towards the blond.

Naruto turned to face the woman. He could see the contempt. The hatred. The masterfully hidden urge to lunge towards him. She was obviously bitter about what he did to her. And what he nearly did. Naruto didn't expect anything less. It was obvious if he showed her a moment of weakness, she would no doubt try to stab him in the back. This kind of life. Now he had to watch his back from people working for him. A treacherous world this was. But there was no avoiding it.

"They are bandits who have caused people to suffer… like you…" Naruto responded in a cold tone. "I have no problem snapping their necks. They are just not useful but you are. In any case, a bastard, cold, you can call me whatever you want – nothing will change."

Guren's lips twisted scornfully. She knew trying anything would most likely get her killed. Naruto wasn't normal. And she had worked with Orochimaru – who was truly no longer human in every sense. She just had to swallow her pride and work for him.

"I was told to come here to give you a message since you were not planning to reach the emperor's palace." Guren said in a cold tone.

"I usually don't mind but your attitude isn't going to work with me." Naruto said with narrowed eyes. "I don't have a problem if you hate him. you can loath me until you kick the bucket, but improve your attitude. I won't tolerate it much longer."

Guren was silent for a couple of moments. She didn't give a reaction to say she acknowledged his words or even comment on them. She merely gave her message. "Konoha's hospital was destroyed. We don't know who but it isn't any of the Hidden villages."

Naruto merely nodded. He already knew about this. He had already been told before he even visited the Snow. Still, who could be so heartless enough to destroy a hospital? The sick, the wounded. A hospital was a place of hope and life, for someone to turn it to a funeral, it was just plain evil.

"Konoha was your home until recently and I am told that you still visit the village, I was expecting a reaction than just a nod." Guren said.

"You called me a cold hearted bastard; did you expect me to shed a tear?"

The crystal user blinked once before shaking her head. Despite her thoughts about him, she was expecting a reaction. The nod was just acknowledgement that he heard her. People had died. Innocent people had been killed, and you expected someone to give some reaction. Even Orochimaru wouldn't have just nodded. He would have probably laughed. As expected but it was still a reaction.

"Did you cry when Orochimaru died, Guren?"

"I'd already left when he died. I didn't even know he was dead until recently…"Guren said with a shrug. If she had still been loyal to her master, she would have attempted to kill whoever was responsible. But she didn't care now. If she said she was happy that he was actually dead, she wouldn't be lying. With him gone, there wouldn't be anyone to haunt her.

"Well, only those twisted in his fingers would be sad that he is dead. To the rest of the world, it's a celebration. You should be gone along with him."

Guren frowned. The people at the emperor's palace had reminded her of all the things she did for Orochimaru. The many she killed. The many she kidnapped for his experiments. The many she watched kill each other for his little competitions. They had then made her put Yukimaru in the picture. It had infuriated Guren just thinking about that boy lying in one of Orochimaru's beds. She couldn't wish that for him.

"What is Konoha doing about this?"

"We don't know as yet. It is difficult to get Intel out. They have set up Anbu everywhere…" Guren said.

Naruto nodded. It was to be expected. They had to watch out in case something bad happens again. "Anything else happening in the Leaf?"

"Sasuke Uchiha was there when it happened… but he wasn't the cause of it. He was seen with the Hokage but we don't know what they discussed. Notably, they didn't try to capture him."

Naruto raised an eye brow. Well, that was indeed a curious development. But nothing he should concern himself with. What was his former teammate thinking really? Naruto shook his head. He didn't need to know unless things involved him. Like with the Uchiha standing in the way of his dreams. "That is interesting." Naruto said. "You don't like him, do you?"

"No…" Guren said, but she didn't explain anything further. "A similar incident occurred in other Great Five Nations. They occurred in the space of a week. The situation is currently quite tense. Your name is appearing in both Kumo and Iwa conversations. They have increased their bounties on you."

"Why would my name appear in hospitals? It is petty and cowardly, I wouldn't do something like that…" Naruto said. "In these nations, I have only shown interest in Jinchurikis."

"You were seen in both incidents in the two villages, but only in those two villages." Guren said.

Naruto frowned. This was a problem. And Naruto didn't have the energy to try to clear his name. Going after the Jinchurikis would certainly bring forth chaos. Yes, there would be nothing but chaos. The great five were under attack. And two blamed him for the attack. If he took their Bijuus, they would declare war on him and everyone else who was on his corner. This was going to be a serious problem. A big problem.

His business wouldn't operate like this. The smaller nations he had developed relations with will start doubting him. But he couldn't stop with his business. It was fundamental that he continue with it. He would just have to improvise on methods he would use to ally himself with these people. He had already sent them letters.

"Well, things going to get dangerous from now on…" Naruto said with narrowed eyes. "Has everything been delivered for the tower?"

Guren nodded. "They finished delivering a couple of days ago. But they have yet to start building. I don't know what is wrong, but they should start soon."

"Have everything transported to the Wave Country. If the tower is built on this land, it will be easy to destroy. It just makes it a target. You will handle everything and we won't name it Uzumaki. We will give it another name to separate it from my name. You will be in charge. Figurehead or something. Logistics and daily management will be handled by other people." Naruto said.

"Why are you moving it there?"

"Well, you can't put your power in the same place. It is better they are separate. The emperor's palace isn't easy to destroy, even for Earth users. Chakra is heavily regulated by seals even when you are inside." Naruto explained lightly. "You can choose if you want Yukimaru to go with to the Wave or if he goes to another village. The Wave is still fine since he can make friends there. It is unlike here…"

"I will take him me…" Guren's response was rather quick.

"You love for him is something else." Naruto said. "Who could have thought that even sadists could love?"

Guren didn't offer a response.

"You can go on to do what I have told you. Make it quick, I wish to burn this place down…"

"Wait…" Guren said. "You're not going to take valuable things? You can make use of it rather than just burn it…"

Naruto appeared to think for a moment. "We will take the valuables. Put them in the lost and found desk. Have the information spread. If they are not collected within a month, they will be forfeited unless someone pays for them." Naruto said lightly. "Thieves must be dealt with accordingly, Guren." Naruto said before throwing Guren a scroll. "Seal everything there."

"Where are you going after this?"

"I'm going to see what the situation is like in Iwagakure. This was unexpected. I need to see if I have to revaluate my course of action." Naruto explained.

The blond waited patiently for Guren to collect everything she viewed as valuable. After a couple of minutes, she came back. "I collected everything…" she didn't want to leave. Not before she saw how he was planning to destroy this place.

Naruto walked over to her. He stood just in front of her, staring at her eyes. She kept his stare. "You look defiant, but your heart is making a rather troubled sound.. " he said with a smile. He took out another scroll. "Plans for the trains. Every nation must be connected in one grid. We have already received permission from the Daimyos. I drew routes there, you can get started as soon as you arrive in the Wave Country."

Guren stared at the scroll. "Why do I have to do this? I'm not suitable for this kind of work."

"I know you are good at killing the weak with a sadistic smile, Guren." Naruto said in a calm tone. "I have people who will do the actual work. You are the boss. The supervisor. You make sure everyone is in line. You make sure when there are threats, you handle them. You see, things like this need someone strong to oversee. You are that person."

 **Iwagakure**

Iwa's Jinchuriki had yet to be returned to the village. They always stay away. But Naruto had been thinking that given his threat, Onoki would have felt compelled to bring them here for further protection. There was a danger to that nevertheless. If they brought them here, any battle would affect the village. Perhaps they decided it was safer for civilians if things were in this order. Either way, this arrangement made things easy for him. He could just go and strip them of their Bijuus without fighting anyone from this village.

Looking at things, the security was tight. Naruto thought of sneaking in, but he decided against it. It would take much of an effort to sneak into the village. He didn't have that time. He needed to get things ready. He wasn't getting any younger by the day.

Naruto was standing about two minutes away from the village's entrance. He looked into the heavens and then released a heavy sigh. He wasn't supposed to fool around. Honestly, Guren's message didn't please him. It had bothered him more so than he was willing to admit. That thing was ruining things for him. And at this rate, he would have to betray everything he has said and wear the mask of a devil. He didn't want to put it on. Not now anyway. He wanted to do things in a peaceful manner. If they failed, then all hell could break loose.

But for now, there was no need to wear a mask. Not when he had options. He would have to consult with Konan about this. He did wonder what she would say if he told her about the dark thoughts he had if things went south. She had been on the path before, she would understand. Naruto didn't want to fight for his entire life. He wanted to get results and he would get them. If a peaceful approach cannot work. Then chaos and death will do. It always worked with the Elemental Nations.

It didn't take long for him to be surrounded by shinobi led by Kurotsuchi. They wouldn't let him reach their village. Not when he could cause destruction.

Naruto attempted a smile but Kurotsuchi responded with a harsh glare. She really wanted to murder him. But he was never ticked off by it. Whenever he saw that look, he always wanted to say something playful. Something that would draw out her emotions.

"You're ruining your beautiful face with such an expression, dear." Naruto said in a calm tone. He counted the shinobi. They were all at least Jonin in terms of strength. But it was still nothing to him. They needed to bring Kage-level shinobi to land a hit on him.

"A compliment from you makes me feel disgusted." Kurotsuchi said. "I wish you didn't say any of those things."

Naruto shook his head. "I can't help myself. You are a very desirable person. I'm sure these shinobi around you can agree with me on that point. They might be afraid to say it, but if you ask, they will tell you."

Kurotsuchi looked around with a sharp glance. She didn't want to hear it. But she could see it in their looks that they were agreeing with Naruto. Despicable. She dared them to say anything. Fortunately, they all knew their places and didn't say anything.

"What do you want? Have you come here to destroy more buildings and kill more innocent people?" The contempt in Kurotsuchi's voice was unmistakably clear. She was obviously angry. If she hated him before, she loathed him now. Very soon, she would be unable to tolerate his presence without lunging forward.

The atmosphere was tensed. The killing intent was directed at him. It was something else. But nothing that made him afraid. Naruto thought of just letting it be for a moment but he shook his head. He couldn't allow them to get away with it. They had to know their places. And so, he released his massive intent. It was potent. A touch from hell. Whispers from the dead. The door of death hung open with an invite carried over by the stench of blood. The stench made the stomachs twist.

Even the most experienced were momentarily dazed, paralysed in fear. It had been for a couple of seconds, but it had felt like eternity. Naruto quickly stopped.

Kurotsuchi released a breath. She was relieved. She was breathing calmly once more. She tried looking for Naruto, but her eyes blinked and her hair rose. Her body froze for a moment: he was standing behind her. None of the shinobi reacted quick enough to stop him. She looked at her right, his shining long sword was on her right shoulder. Lethally sharp. Dangerously close to her neck.

He had moved when everyone was blinded by his killing intent. Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth in anger. He was fast. She knew that. Any wrong move and her head will be rolling on the ground. Disappointing.

"Your men have been trained well." Naruto said. He didn't have to tell them not to make a move. They read the situation pretty well. "Turn around and face me."

Slowly but surely, Kurotsuchi turned around to face Naruto. The blond nearly took a step back seeing the murderous look on her face. He whistled. "Wow…" he mouthed. "You truly are a hateful woman." He was almost disgusted by the level of hate on her eyes.

"You killed innocent people!" How dare he look at her with such eyes? It made her feel conflicted. Insulted. He was the bad person here. Not her. Why did he have to look at her like that?

Naruto shook his head. "I walked through your front gates and came to you like this, do you really think I'd still hide myself when destroying your hospital? Think clearly, I have already declared that I will take your Bijuus. You already have me as your enemy. Why would I sneak in to do that when I can just snap my fingers and things happen…" he did just that. He snapped his fingers. A cold breeze washed over the atmosphere. It was too much of a coincident to say he wasn't at fault for the change in temperature.

Kurotsuchi stared for a long minute. "Who knows why you criminals do the things you do?"

"Really? Is that the best you can give me?" Naruto was clearly frustrated.

Kurotsuchi snarled. She was the one who had to be angry here. Not him. He had no right to be frustrated. Admittedly, the thought that it was him who was responsible for the attack didn't make much sense. Even though they did see him, it didn't make sense. She couldn't imagine this loathsome man coming to her village and leave without saying something to her. A henge was a trade for shinobi. Anyone could impersonate anyone. But you could not take their abilities. Not unless you know them.

They still needed someone to blame. Naruto was still any enemy. She couldn't smile at him. He was wanted. At this stage, whether it was for the hospital or for threatening Iwa really didn't matter. The fact was that he was an enemy.

"Do not disappoint me, Kurotsuchi. I at least expect the future Tsuchikage to be able to think beyond what she sees." Naruto said in a dangerous tone.

"Are you insulting my intelligence?"

"If you really believe that I would do something so cowardly, then I am. Anyone is a fool to conclude that I am responsible for such petty attacks. If I want attack you, I won't come from behind…" Naruto said. "What do you believe?"

"It is irrelevant. Fact of the matter is that you are an enemy of the Hidden Stone." Kurotsuchi said in a hardened tone.

"You refuse to answer my question…" Naruto said.

"I gave you a response. You just didn't like it."

Naruto's eyes didn't move away from Kurotsuchi but he suddenly leapt into the air. His sword never left the woman. It was touching her when he flipped, eyes watching her like a hawk. He landed behind her.

The ground burst where he had been standing. A massive hole appeared. But there was no one there.

"I should have expected it…" he Naruto said with a shake of his head. "I'd come to see if you were a reasonable person. Please make the right decisions for the sake of your village, Kurotsuchi."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you are going slap sins I have not committed on my cv, I will have a problem. I will give you real reasons to hunt me down. I want to free the Bijuus. That is all…" once more, he leapt into the air. But this time, he was floating. He suddenly twisted around in blinding speed and then, he was gone.

Kurotsuchi didn't feel like giving a chase. She didn't even ask if they could sense him. She merely started walking towards the Stone. She was a little embarrassed and conflicted. She really needed to speak to her grandfather.

 **Minutes later**

Naruto was slowly walking towards the Fire Country, hands inside his pockets. His body on autopilot. His mind was engaged in heavy thoughts.

If he goes ahead with his plan, he would end up making things worse. But what did that matter if there was chaos in the end? He was willing to try a gentle method to work things out but at same time, he was also willing to do anything for peace. If he put on the mask of a devil, he'd have to betray the friendships he'd gained. They would loathe his existence.

But for peace, that was a small price to pay wasn't it?

If things were going to burn, let them burn after he has taken all Bijuus. His reasons can be questioned and they could call him a liar for everything he has said to the Kages, but he had to get things done. He had to get the Bijuus.

'That's about right, isn't it Kurama?'

Kurama didn't offer an immediate response. 'You have a long life ahead of you, there is no need to rush into anything. But don't forget that you are willing to shed blood for your dream. You should continue with what you have planned to do. You will look confused if you stop now.'

That wouldn't be good. Nagato would certainly demand to know why he bothered even dying when the person who shared his desires was going to get lost. And there was Konan, he wasn't going to let her down. Not when she has vowed to support his dream. He couldn't waver now.

If the Elemental Nations were going to burn, they could burn. He would do what he wanted, regardless of what anyone said.

'I guess we should stop fooling around and show this world what it means to be a god of shinobi.'

'Don't get over confident.' Kurama cautioned.

Naruto shrugged. 'It is a fact.' He said calmly. 'We should look for Iwa's Jinchuriki. I don't have a problem with just outright murdering the two. But I hope they give me one hell of a battle.'

'And if they don't bother fighting you?'

'That would be disappointing but I can't force them to face me just for a good laugh.' Naruto said with a shrug. 'If we do end up a menace, let us do it in style, Kurama. Let us become the most infamous person the shinobi world has ever seen and will ever see.'

'You are getting a little too excited.'

Naruto smiled. 'Am I?' he asked. 'I guess I should reign in on that since we are going to be civil until things force us to change. Well regardless of what, we are ready for anything.'

 **Konohagakure**

Tsunade sighed tiredly: at this moment, she missed Jiraiya. She was starting to miss just how shameless he was. Well, that was part of what made him the perverted Toad Sage – her dearest friend. Everyone was now gone. Her family was gone, her sensei was gone, he was gone. And now Naruto. She frowned bitterly at the thought of that person. If he was here, she'd at least have someone she could call family. But he'd dumped her into this shitty village and went on to do as he pleases.

Traitor.

Now that she thought of it, Naruto had basically betrayed her. He betrayed his promise. He said he would take the hat from her but he would not. He could not. Not with how things were now. That bastard, because of him she was having many headaches. If Jiraiya was here, things would at least be better. She would have someone to comfort her.

"No drinking during work, Tsunade-sama!"

Instead, she had this.

The Slug Princes stared at Shizune for a long moment. She glared at the woman who has been following him around for a long time and then shook her head. "Don't you have anything better to do, Shizune?"

"And leave you to drink while working?"

"It's not like I haven't done it before."

"But you can't hold your alcohol all too well. If you get drunk at work, I am the one who has to suffer while you have sweet dreams."

Tsunade shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm allowed to that. Besides, I just want to have one glass." She shouldn't have said that because Shizune moved closer and took the bottle. She poured some and then kept the bottle.

"I'm going to start throwing away your stash again…"

Tsunade glared. "I will throw you out of the window if you go that far…" she warned.

Shizune didn't look concerned. "Is it that difficult these days?" She asked in a quiet tone. There was a bit of emotion in her.

Tsunade nodded but didn't say anything not until a minute passed. "The current madness within the Great Five isn't making things simple either. We are blaming each other. And the real culprit is watching. We know that Naruto wasn't around when this occurred. We know he was in the Snow but the others don't know that. It isn't something we can share either.

"Regardless, there have been many innocent people dying. Its another thing when you have civilians dying needlessly. It just means that we are not doing a proper job. We have to figure out a way to stop things but it doesn't look like it is going to stop. Shinobi might be next and if Naruto goes ahead with his plans, there will be chaos and more reasons to worry."

At this time when the nations are obviously under attack. They had to keep their Jinchuriki. It was their sense of security. If a major battle occurs, then there was there would be a need for their 'weapons' to be released.

Tsunade hoped that Naruto was able to read the situation. The Nations would be more than willing to act more than ever. Kumo would push back and if he succeeded, it would turn this world upside down with shinobi hunting for him. The same could be said about Iwagakure and at some point, Konoha would be forced to join in. there were things that they would obviously not be willing to tolerate from Naruto. If he went past a certain border, they would have to take action against him.

At this stage, it almost seemed inevitable. Naruto wasn't concerned about being hunted down by the villages he was going to piss off. And on the other side, there was this unknown force that was attacking the Elemental Nations. Jiraiya was here, he would have some information to tell her. They absolutely had to find out who was doing this and put a stop to it.

"Do you think he will still continue even when things are like this?"

"Yes…" Tsunade said. "But I really hope I am wrong, Shizune. Nothing good will happen if he doesn't restrain himself."

Shizune could agree to this. She was also very worried. But what could they do? They just had to stop him but at this point, stopping him wouldn't mean killing him? Shizune didn't know if Tsunade was willing go that far. She couldn't tell if her master was willing to kill Naruto.

"But if he really wants peace, shouldn't he be working to stop this?"

"If he wanted peace, he wouldn't have even left Konoha." Tsunade said in a sharp tone. "At this point, Naruto is willing to do anything. He has shown it and the power he has gained gives him the confidence. There is no peace, it is just madness…" she shook her head with disappointment.

"Not what Jiraiya-sama wanted…" Shizune said. She guessed this was what Tsunade was going to say after shaking her head.

"Not by any stretch…" Tsunade said firmly. "There will come a time when we can't ignore, what Naruto is doing. I have to be ready to put Konoha first. But in the meantime, we have a terrorist we need to discover."

They had almost finished rebuilding the hospital but this time, it was built in such a way that the same trick doesn't happen again. People were being cautious but a hospital was a hospital, they couldn't run away from it forever.

"Shouldn't we consider cooperating with other villages? We have a common enemy…."

Tsunade smiled. It was a bitter smile. "I doubt either Kumo or Iwa will be willing to help. They will soon figure out it wasn't Naruto but that won't change anything. He is still a threat and I told them what does wasn't my problem and refused help capturing them."

Shizune shut off for a moment. If she could not help, why would they help? It didn't matter if the enemy was mutual the fact was that she wanted help. They were not going to help. "Isn't it better to be rejected than think we will be rejected and then not so anything?"

Tsunade sighed. "You are right…" she said. "But I have a feeling the Tsuchikage will say he is only willing to join hands if I am also willing to help them apprehend Naruto."

"Well that would make things difficult…" Shizune said. "But still…." She trailed off when Sakura walked into the office.

Tsunade stared at the pinkette for a long minute without saying anything. The girl has truly been working hard for the hospital. Even when Sasuke had been here, she hadn't chased after him but focused on her duty. She has truly grown. It was moments like this that made her proud to call the girl her student. She was even better than Shizune when it came to medical ninjutsu.

"What is it Sakura?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment and as her master had an idea of what she was going to ask, her lips moved upside down but she didn't say a damn thing. "About Sasuke-kun."

Tsunade had to hold herself from sighing loudly. She should have realized that this come up one of these days. Sakura cared for her duties. She was a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf but she also wanted to get Sasuke back. Seeing him that day must have made her think more deeply about the Uchiha's continued absence in the village. The girl didn't want that. She wanted him back. Was it love or an obsession? This has really gone past the point of being a young girl's infatuation. She thought it would pass, surely she was wrong.

Sakura no longer cared for Naruto. She didn't want him back. Perhaps it was because he hurt her. That could be it. Even so, it was remarkable how she has changed her views of him. Tsunade wasn't going to blame the girl for anything.

"What of Sasuke… Sakura?" She stared at her student firmly.

"Well, have you heard from him?" Sakura asked. Of course, she knew if Tsunade had heard from the Uchiha, she would have told her. She just wanted something to break the ice.

"Not since that day…" Tsunade said with a shake of her head.

"I see…" Sakura paused. "I want to look for him. He was here, so I think there is a chance that he came come up if I convince him." She was firm about it.

How could she even forget the day that he left? He had thanked her. She couldn't forget that moment. She had even been willing to leave with him. Had he permitted it, she would have left. Then again, she wouldn't have learned everything she has learned so far if she didn't stay.

"I can't let you do that, Sakura."

Sakura stared. "But Tsunade-sama… I have done what I need to do. Shizune-san is here if anything needs to be done at the hospital. I don't see why I can't."

"I don't need to explain myself to you, Sakura."

"Are you even trying to look for him?"

Tsunade sighed once more. She rubbed her temple, fighting off a head ache. This was going to be another problem she had to deal with. It was annoying and frustrating. Why did she have to deal with everything by herself? This was delicate. She didn't want to end up having Sakura depart the village by force to look for Sasuke. It would be a disaster if something like that happened.

"Sakura, where is Sasuke?" Tsunade asked in a very slow yet firm tone. Her eyes were staring deep into her student's.

Sakura blinked with confusion. She thought of it for a couple of moments before it clicked. "I don't know…" she said.

"You don't know where he is but you want to look for him."

"Well, it is better than sitting here hoping that he will eventually return." Sakura said a bit defiantly.

Tsunade shook her head. "Can you even walk along the Fire Country on your own, without a map, and not get lost?"

Well, she hadn't travelled that much over the past years. And whenever she travelled, she was always with someone. She didn't have to worry about directions. She was capable of surviving on her own. She had the tools to survive. And as medic, she was best positioned to survive the difficult conditions.

"I don't know where Sasuke is, Sakura. And I can't allow you to look for him." Tsunade said sternly. "But what I do know is that he is looking for Naruto…" she watched Sakura, looking at her reaction.

"Naruto…" Sakura bit her lip. She hated it. Admittedly, Sasuke had been a lot closer to Naruto than he had been to her. She had been just the annoying girl to him.

"Do you understand what is happening outside, Sakura? Konoha wasn't the only village that was attacked. All the Great Five Nations were attacked and we are currently suspicious of each. These attacks have created a situation where we don't trust each other. Very soon, you'll be hearing that our shinobi are killing each other when they meet. Konoha shinobi might not be able enter the Earth without being attacked.

"It will get dangerous out there. My concern is ensuring that Konoha is safe. If another attack happens, I need to have my best shinobi available. I need you to be saving lives while I fight if the need comes." Tsunade explained calmly.

Sakura stared. She understood but she really wanted to look for him. She was going to lose her mind if she just sat here. She needed to look. She needed to do something.

"I understand what you are saying, Tsunade-sama, but I really…"

"Tell you what; I will keep my eyes open. If I hear he has been seen somewhere, I will send you. But you have to promise me that you will not fight him, Sakura. The same goes for Naruto…" Tsunade said.

Sakura beamed up. "I promise…" she said.

"Good." Tsunade said. "Is there anything else?"

Sakura shook her head. She said something to Shizune and then departed quietly. Once gone, the black head spoke. "Well, that went better than expected."

Tsunade frowned. "Yeah but I have to send resources to look for Sasuke."

Shizune blinked. "I thought you were just saying that to silence her. If she didn't hear anything good, she was going to keep pestering about it…"

"I did consider that but after some time she will start questioning things and might say I lied to her. We don't want a situation where she feels betrayed by the people she trusts…" Tsunade said. Of course that didn't mean she wouldn't be against withholding information if it was necessary. She was the Godaime Hokage, her duty was to Konoha. But she still needed to take care of the people that made this village prosper.

"That would be a problem… she does get emotional when it comes to Sasuke…" Shizune said. "Should we update Naruto's status?"

Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes…it should be SS-rank, put everything we know so far and the latest photo… Update, Sasuke's well. We still don't know about him, so, just leave it as unknown but do mention that he might be possibly an S-rank shinobi."

Shizune nodded and departed from the office.

 **Iwagakure**

Naruto's words had really struck her deeply. Kurotsuchi had been thinking about them. Of course she did love her village and would not do anything reckless to damage it. This why she has even bothered to think about what he said to her.

What was painfully obvious was that he wasn't someone she could take down. It had become clear to her, no matter her denials. Her confidence had certainly tanked after their last confrontation. Naruto was powerful. Ridiculously and he wasn't someone who she could touch. It was bitter to swallow but it was the truth. Her shinobi couldn't do anything to him. She had realized as much. But that didn't mean that she wouldn't try to fight him if he threatened Iwa. She would but she was beginning to understand the gap in power.

It was no wonder he felt he could come and then leave as he pleases. He has done it more than once. Hell, even the Raikage had been unable to stop him. He had fought the Raikage and then beat him. It was a difficult situation but the reality was that they had a powerful enemy who couldn't be defeated by normal means. Perhaps the Jinchurikis would do it but he was plotting to take them away. To rob them of that power.

Kurotsuchi glanced at her grandfather. He looked like he was going to die. She did most of the work any way. He wouldn't let her keep the job, says she still needed to learn. How long was she going to learn?

"Old man!" she shouted.

Onoki glared at Kurotsuchi. "I'm not deaf yet…'" he said.

Kurotsuchi moved her lips. Just to mess with him. She paused and stared. He stared back. She sighed. "Do you really think that Naruto attacked us?"

"Of course not…" Onoki said.

Kurotsuchi blinked. He didn't tell her but he didn't believe so. What was wrong with this old man? "Why not?"

"He would have done it differently…" Onoki said with a shrug.

"Then why do you blame it on him?" Kurotsuchi asked. "I thought it was also him who did it, you know." She would not say she stopped thinking that way until she spoke to him. The old man would question things. He would question her. He would question if she was falling for the enemy.

"It is convenient…" Onoki said with a shrug.

"I know it is more than just that…" Kurotsuchi said with a hardened stare. "Give me some credit here. I am not even a little girl that you need to hide things from me."

Onoki was silent for a couple of moments before speaking. "There are some people, even shinobi who don't particularly care if Naruto takes our Jinchuriki. Not everyone likes them after all. He is the enemy but they won't see him as such. This was the reason to make them see him as an enemy. That aside, it is fine to let the real culprit think we were fooled. But we will be busy searching for him."

Regardless of how you look at it, that was just evil. Her grandfather was willing to go this far just so people can hate Naruto? Wasn't it wrong? Kurotsuchi shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking for the blond. He was the one who was wrong. They just want to protect what was theirs.

"Who do you think did it?"

Onoki shook his head. "I don't know but it is the same person who did it in other villages. I think this one becomes another problem but Naruto remains the biggest threat."

Kurotsuchi nodded. She thought deeply for a moment before speaking. "You can't take him down and neither can I. we need something…"

Onoki frowned. He knew that already. He just wished that Kurotsuchi didn't admit it like that. They did need another village to beat him. Kumo was the safest bet. But he wasn't sure if The Raikage would trust him. "This is why I am willing to do anything to stop him. He is powerful and that alone is a major threat to our village's security."

 **Within the Earth Country**

Naruto was walking through the forest in the Earth, looking for Iwa's Jinchuriki. He could sense their chakra and so he wasn't in a hurry. He was walking slowly. Since he had just visited Iwa, it was safe to say that there wouldn't be shinobi coming this way. It would be troublesome if weak people came to him. At this point, he would end up snapping some people's neck simply out of frustrations. Shinobi were weak. Where were powerful shinobi like the Sandaime Hokage? Gone. The current generation did not have that kind of power. Well, it made things easy for him.

'Say, Kurama, if I suddenly decided to revive the Jubi and become its Jinchuriki, what would you do?'

He could do that. He had the tools to do it. The Gedo Mazo was in his possession and the Bijuus were within his reach. If he managed to do that, he would certainly become an overlord of the shinobi world. But it would not be so bad. He could rule over humans for a while and then teach them good manners before disappearing from the face of the earth.

'I can't stop you.' Kurama said. 'I'd just try to talk you out of it but there is nothing I can do to stop you. What would you even do with all that power?'

'Rule over humans?' Naruto thought for a moment. 'Or I could just erase the human population and leave a couple of innocent people who I have brainwashed and then restart things over again. Perhaps people would do some good then.'

Kurama blinked. 'Your thoughts are becoming darker and darker.'

'You think?' Naruto asked calmly. 'That that is what happens when you walk into this path. But I have you. I hope that I don't get corrupted though and get lost in the lust for power. It would certainly be a sad end to my miserable existence.'

'Don't let your thoughts stray because you have me.' Kurama warned. 'I might decide having you mad is better for me.'

Naruto thought about it for a moment before laughing. 'Well, you are known as the very powerful and evil Nine-tailed demon. There are many who truly fear your name. If I let you out in Konoha, those people would certainly wet themselves. Your very name brings dread. Your appearance is despair.'

'You're praising me.' Kurama said flatly. 'If things don't work out, you won't have to worry about your performance as the evil one. I think you will play the role perfectly.'

At this Naruto smiled bitterly. 'Yes but at what cost?'

'Your humanity and friendships. You will lose everyone who have friended. Everyone in Konoha will look at you with contempt. Those people in Suna will feel betrayed by you. You will be alone. It will be you against the shinobi world.' Kurama explained firmly.

'But for change, it will be worth it, isn't it?' Naruto asked.

'Only you can answer that question, Naruto.' Kurama said.

Naruto didn't respond. Not because he didn't have anything to say but because he was standing in front of two people he was looking for. They appeared ready for him. It was as if they were expecting him.

Naruto smiled. "Gentlemen…" he greeted them kindly. "I haven't seen Jinchuriki so old. You must be from the past generation."

They were much older. Perhaps they were in the same league as Jiraiya or younger. The other Jinchurikis he knew were younger. But this just meant that he was dealing with people who were experienced. Shinobi who have seen many battles. Shinobi who could hold their own. It wasn't to say they could defeat him but he did believe they could do something. With age came with wisdom and experience. That was something that was fundamental for a shinobi to survive this treacherous world.

Han looked at the picture before him. And then back at Naruto. "You must be Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto nodded. "Yes, Iwa has sent a message, I presume?"

Han nodded. "We were told that you want to take the Bijuus inside of us…"

"Is this true?" Roshi asked.

Naruto nodded. "Looking at you…although you don't stay in Iwagakure, you are not going to let me do what I want, are you?"

"That should be obvious." Roshi said. "Are you really the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi?"

Naruto nodded. "If you can push me, you might see it. If not, it will be a pity. But I am certain that the Bijuus inside of you can tell that the Kyubi dwells inside of me. Bijuus are very sensitive to each other after all."

The two looked at each other for a moment. "Iwa wants us to capture you. We were told to do this when you appear before this and we shall do so. We do hope you came prepared."

Ah, these two were good people. There was no contempt. They were just going to try to do their jobs. It was something else. Well, they were experienced shinobi. They were not young and hot blooded. If it had been someone else, things would not have been going as they have been since he appeared. It was a pity he had to kill them. A pity they could not be friends. They were lively.

'Kurama, I will leave talking to the Bijuus to you. These people don't seen like they are the type who'll even listen to my reasons. They have a duty to their village and they are carrying it forward.'

'I have not become your messenger.'

'Eh…' Naruto rolled his eyes. 'Just do it. You are going to leave me soon. It is best I make use of you while I can.'

Han stared at Naruto; there were two of them, the body language of the blond was just comfortable – he wasn't afraid of this battle. Was it arrogance or just confidence? The message had said he was strong but they had to capture. Orders were orders, they had to be followed. Even though the blond wanted to capture them and take the Bijuus, he didn't seem like a bad person. There was no form of malice, but they had to do it. They had to follow orders. Well, he didn't want to die.

The whole atmosphere around Naruto flipped in an instant when the blond started walking over towards him. He had no doubt, the blond was powerful. He could feel the oppressive chakra output, he could feel the aura of power trying to dominate his senses into submission. There was no going easy on this one.

"Are you read-" Han wanted to ask Roshi, but Naruto suddenly vanished from sight and appeared behind them, his back facing them.

But they were not experienced shinobi for nothing, instinctively, both leapt into the air while twisting around to face the blond. Roshi was the first to launch a jutsu as Naruto slowly turned around with an expressionless mask.

" **Yoton: Shakugaryugan no Jutsu!"** Roshi launched lava from his mouth and then turned it into multiple boulders of molten rock. They quickly launched towards Naruto with terrifying heat.

There was no need to needlessly use the abilities of the Rinnegan over everything. Besides, he had various jutsus he could use and powerful jutsus, why not make use of them against opponents who could take them. These were Jinchurikis, they couldn't complain if he launched massive jutsus towards the.

When he couldn't think of a jutsu he could use to counter the lava, Naruto summoned his long sword and sped towards the boulders. He swung his sword vertically, slicing one in half with his sword shining brightly over the chakra running through it. He flashed into mid-air, appearing straight on the path of another boulder and cut it in half with his sword.

Two more were just behind it and Naruto vanished from their path in great speed. He landed a distance backwards and then slammed his foot on the ground. "Earth Style: Mud wall!" A large wall burst from the ground. The lava boulders simply burst through the wall but Naruto was already gone.

When he landed on a good distance, he was welcomed by Roshi who was covered in Lava. The man had a punch heading straight towards his chest. Naruto leapt back slightly and then rocketed like a bullet before twisting in mid-air. He slammed Roshi straight on his forehead with his right foot and when the kick connected he felt something and was quickly forced to pull away to look at what happened.

He didn't even get to look at himself as Han flashed in front of him, right above the ground, his right leg charging towards his chest, steaming with lava. Naruto only positioned his sword vertically and held it with both hands to block the attack. When Han's foot collided with his blade, Naruto sent flying backwards in great distance. He landed gracefully on the ground.

There was still no time as he sensed a spike of incredible chakra and looked up. Roshi was on four tails behind him, looking like a miniature beast; he released a pale blast of energy straight towards him. Naruto dropped his sword to the ground and held out his right hand, opening its palm. The jutsu hit an invisible barrier, but still pushed Naruto back. it was redirected to different directions.

There were multiple explosions that occurred when blasts hit the ground where they were being directed.

Once the attack was over, Naruto managed to stand up. He frowned looking down at his right foot. It had been burnt horribly by the lava. It was dangerously even though he didn't touch it. But the damage had already had been healed by the Kyubi, and yet the leg of his trousers was still missing. The Boil releaser was a problem as well. Getting close to these two would prove dangerous.

He glanced at his opponents and clapped his hands together. He breathed in, filling his lungs with oxygen before breathing out. "Majestic Breakthrough!" It seemed like an explosion when powerful gusts of wind covering a wide area were released. The gusts were a natural force of wind that tore through the ground, raising up debris with a violent force. Nothing stood in the way as it slammed both Han and Roshi. The jutsu even uprooted a couple of trees in its wake. There was nothing that remained standing where it touched. It had created a clear path.

Naruto smiled. "When facing against large number of shinobi, this is a good way to create a room." He said.

He closed his eyes and waited. Both Han and Roshi were unharmed when they flashed around him. Naruto stretched out his hands and they movements stopped. He could still feel the heat from Roshi's lava. "Shinra Tensei!"

"Guah!"

It felt like a bone crushing move as they were both slammed hard by the jutsu sending them flying great distances. Roshi broke through several trees as the momentum of the jutsus carried them way. Han's armour had massive cracks after hitting his share of trees. He struggled to get up. Even with the armour, he had felt the full weight of that jutsu.

He looked up into the sky for a moment as clouds began to gather. He really needed to transform or this would be offer soon.

Naruto could see both his opponents from where he stood. He did hand seals and thunder clouds grumbled loudly before releasing lightning strike attacks that hit both Roshi and Han. Naruto flashed before Han, to see the man on his knees, smoke coming out of his body, some pieces of his armour on the ground.

"This is abou…" He trailed off, sensing a massive output of chakra. He quickly disappeared from sight.

Han transformed into the massive white Bijuu he hosted. The Bijuu sped towards him. Naruto could feel small tremors on the ground as the Bijuu ran. Its head down and horns rearing towards him. Naruto held out his right hand.

Boom!

The Bijuu slammed into an invisible force. The collision caused the ground to shatter, raising debris. But the Bijuu didn't take a step back. Naruto frowned when his body started to move back.

"Hmm?"

He glanced back, only to see a huge first heading his way. The four-tails fist slammed him on his right side, sending him flying like a bullet. Naruto cursed when the monstrous fist collided with his shoulder, dislocating it. The force sent him crashing into multiple trees and he couldn't stop because of the momentum.

When he finally came to a halt, he felt his body ache and had to sit down. He tried to put his shoulder to his rightful place, cursing as he did. He spat out blood and stared at it for a moment. "Well that isn't meant to hit the fragile body of a perso…" he trailed off once more, as he looked up. The four tailed monkey was above him, crashing down with both its hands held together, trying to hammer him.

"Oi oi… I think I think he is trying to kill me…"

Boom!

The Bijuu slammed on the ground, lifting up chunks of earth. A small shockwave blasted dust into all sides. When its eyes looked down, there was nothing but a crater where its fist hit, but there was no sign of Naruto.

He slammed his hands together. "Wind Tornado!" Rotating winds picked up around the Bijuu him, before rising up high, and expanding marginally. The winds rose high enough to surround the four-tails.

The monkey responded by jumping into air, escaping the jutsu. When it landed down, he faced Naruto before starting to charge a Bijuudama.

"That was disappointing." Naruto said calmly before getting up. The Five-tails was also charging its Bijuudama. He frowned. "They really are trying to kill me…" he muttered. "Oi, Kurama, I need your chakra. I will die if those jutsus hit me."

"You have been fighting just fine without me… you can survive. Well, if you don't… it will be a shame…"

Naruto was silent for a couple of moments. "My heart is starting to beat a bit quickly you know. It's two Bijuudamas, I can't absorb it all. Even if I survive, they'll cripple me and I won't be able to fight."

"I can always take over. That will heal you."

Naruto frowned. "…while shortening my natural lifespan."

"You can solve that my sealing in the Gedo Mazo."

The two Bijuus released their Jutsus simultaneously, both speeding towards him. Kurama was only able to give Naruto his chakra then. The blond was cloaked in the orange chakra and disappeared in a blur. The two bombs were slammed into different directions.

Boom!

Naruto watched, floating in the air as two large mushrooms rise into the heavens. "That was dangerous…" he said. "We should end this…" he said before crashing loudly into the ground. The Kyubi's chakra dispersed before he did hand seals.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

In a loud terrifying roar, the Gedo Mazo appeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto jumped off its head and relaxed, nursing his wounds.

'Why are you summoning it here?'

"I want to see the statue in action. It has a mechanism to pull out Bijuus but it I can't seal them within it because it will become unstable. I just have to pull them out and transport them somewhere else."

"I can handle those two."

"You just want to show your superiority. You want to show me that even with half of your power, you can still take down two fully powered Bijuus…" Naruto said. "But we can't have that. It will damage the landscape. And the noise will attract Iwa… we can't have that either."

 **And cut!**

 **That concludes this chapter. So I have been working on a couple of things for the story, and already, I see the end. I won't say much about it but we will have a conclusion soon. I will have chapter 17 within the next seven days.**

 **Again, thank you for the reviews.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	17. Chapter 17

"Tsuchikage-sama!" A man said bursting through the office, startling both Onoki and his granddaughter.

The man looked behind the desk, only to see Kurotsuchi working there. It was a familiar sight. But he wanted to speak to Onoki. He looked around, and found the old man sitting on the couch, reading something.

"Something better be burning…" Kurotsuchi said, glaring at the man who dared burst into the office without knocking.

"I'm sure he has something to important to say…" Onoki said in a stern tone. There was a threat left unsaid in those words. No one burst into the office without anything good to say.

The man looked uncomfortable. These were not good people and he was to bring in the bad news. Why did he have to take this job? Sometimes the bearer of bad news was the one who got yelled at. He should have just left the message with the assistant outside and make haste to return to his post.

"Well?" Kurotsuchi stared impatiently.

"Umm… Naruto attacked both Han and Roshi… he took them away."

There was silence. Onoki burst. His killing intent to be precise. The shinobi was scared to death. The Sandaime Tsuchikage was old, but the killing Intent did not whither like a flower. It was still potent and strong.

"When?" Onoki demanded.

"We only received the message a couple of minutes ago…" that said, the man excused himself and ran out of the office.

Onoki's deep frown did not leave as his lips as he silently plotted for ways he could kill Naruto. This was just wrong. It was bad. He shouldn't have allowed this to happen. Naruto had his Jinchuriki and both of them. Who knows what he was planning to do with them? Onoki didn't believe that crap about simply wishing to free the Bijuus. There was no person in their right minds who thought of something like that. Naruto had an ulterior motive. He was basically disarming them. And Onoki couldn't accept that.

Worse, the blond wasn't that weak that he would send a couple of his shinobi and deal with him. If that fool Deidara hadn't deserted, he would have been sending him on the mission to kill Naruto. But he was probably dead since Naruto had been hunting the members of the Akatsuki. There was no option to even hire the organization now. Curses.

Chasing Naruto now would not do. The blond was mobile. He didn't even know where he could find them or where he went with his shinobi. The emperor's palace could be a start. But he doubted he would find the blond somewhere so obvious and open for all shinobi.

Konoha was being difficult and this was their shinobi. This was war now. And anyone who stood in the way would be crushed. Onoki would make sure of it. Even if it was the Hidden Leaf, he would crush it. Naruto would pay for threatening Iwagakure. He would pay dearly.

"Don't think too hard old man, your brain might just crash…" Kurotsuchi said to her grandfather.

She was trying to lighten the mood since he was looking so focused you couldn't mistake he was plotting for someone's downfall.

Onoki turned to his granddaughter. If not for this situation, he'd give her the role of Tsuchikage. But he wanted to be in charge of this situation. He had been refusing to retire because he wanted to keep busy. He didn't want to be treated like he couldn't walk on his own. Though, admittedly, it was a pain these days, hence the constant flying, even at home.

"You don't look surprised."

Kurotsuchi shrugged. "There is no need to be surprised, even from you, grandfather. We knew this was going to happen. He had warned us. I was thinking he wouldn't do it with what is happening and he was just here about two hours ago."

Kurotsuchi did make sense. "Now is the perfect time. We are busy trying to figure out who is attacking the Great Five Nations. It will be difficult in terms of allocating resources…" Onoki said. "We can't let this slide. His bounty has to be increased."

Kurotsuchi nodded. Was this what Naruto wanted? This trouble? This confusion and fear in Iwagakure? All for what? To free the Bijuus? Ridiculous. She couldn't understand that. But admittedly, she did agree on him on certain things. He was mad to talk about saving the Bijuus but he was not completely bonkers.

But what were they going to do about him? He was too powerful and increasing his bounty was more like a child's petty anger. It didn't hurt him. Konoha had already marked him as 'not approach'. He was powerful. He has proved that once more by defeating two Jinchurikis. Ah, this was going to make her busy. Her grandfather was going to push her around.

Kurotsuchi was going to punch the blond the next time she sees him.

"I Will place the order." She finally responded to her grandfather.

"Write to Konoha once more and demand they do something about this. They must help us take him down. If they can't take responsibility for the actions of their rogue shinobi, I will consider them as enemies."

"Aren't you taking it too far?"

Onoki shrugged. "Just a bit of anger to push them to do something…" he said. He obviously had no intentions with starting a battle with Konoha. It was especially a problem now that he didn't have his Jinchuriki. The Leaf remained a powerful nation.

"You think they will bow to pressure?"

"I don't know…" Onoki said. "We have to hunt him down. It we find his hideout, we can plan on how we are going to handle him. We need to know everything. His abilities. His height the size of his shoes and Konoha is going to supply us that information. They don't have a choice now that he has done this. They will want to avoid trouble as well."

Kurotsuchi shook her head. Personally, she wasn't that concerned about hunting down Naruto anymore. He concern was the person who has harmed the Stone. The person who killed their innocent people. She wanted that person. And that was someone who she would happily hunt. Naruto was someone else since she already knew she didn't have a chance in a one on one battle with him.

"Should we contact Kumo and inform them?"

Onoki shook his head. "We keep this a secret from them. They still have their Jinchurikis and until we hear something from them, we won't say anything. We don't want them thinking we couldn't protect our Jinchuriki…" he then smiled. "Well, I did hear that Naruto has already defeated the Raikage."

Even in this time, her grandfather was going keep his cards to himself. There was still a competition. "Kusagakure still has its Jinchuriki, we could take that before Naruto does anything."

"With the rest of the Great Five worried about Naruto and the attacks, nobody will even notice…" Onoki nodded. "If something happens, we are simply trying to protect the Jinchuriki from Naruto."

 **Wave Country**

The Wave: the country that hosted his first mission outside of the Hidden Leaf… Disastrous mission that had been. They made it. They succeeded but it had to do with luck that they encountered a nice person in the form of Haku. Had the Ice user been willing to take life, Sasuke would be dead and so would he. The Kyubi was probably upset at that moment. Had he been killed, it might have been 'death' to the Bijuu. A situation Kurama didn't want to see even though he would eventually reform once his chakra gathered.

It was perhaps that mission that should have made it obvious that Kakashi wasn't truly suited to be a sensei. The man sucked. He had failed as leader of the team. He was a good person who truly did care for those around him, but he was a failure for a sensei. Having seen that, Naruto would have made sure he did better if he ended up taking a team. He had an experience to lean on.

Naruto looked at the graves of both Haku and Zabuza. For a moment, he considered digging up the Ice user's body and revive him but he shook his head. It wasn't necessary. Leave the dead to rest, he told himself. Haku was a great person there. Certainly someone who you needed when you were feeling down. He was going to have those moments soon. Life was turning upside down and he was likely going to be killing people.

Naruto turned around and slowly made his way towards the people. The country was lively. It wasn't as poor was it had been when he last came here and its economy was going to boom when once he finishes his projects. The Hidden Villages might feel threatened but it was a good place here and he would protect it if there was a need to do so.

He could have gone to Uzu, but he felt it was better here. Let the land of his people rest. It was a memory of how cruel humans could be. To wipe out an entire clan simply for its power. Ridiculous. But Naruto didn't think too much about this. It was a past. Something that happened during a war.

Two weeks have passed since he sent Guren here and already the structure was starting to stand. Tracks for the trains were already put around the country. It was going to work well. He had done well by giving Guren this chance.

He found the woman in a large house, sitting behind a desk, working on papers. He stood by the entrance and folded his hands together. "You look busy…"

Guren glared at the blond. She was going to kill him. She didn't know that she would be forced to do so much work. At this stage, she was even going to end up being made leader of the entire country. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that there was just too much work for her. She couldn't afford to take breaks because she was doing too many things at once. And she blamed this person. He was the one who was in a hurry to do everything in the same time. It was going to kill her.

She didn't need this workload. She had been happy with Yukimaru in the forest. She had been content with her life. But she was here. Doing this work that she wasn't suited to doing but was learning to do because of him. Orochimaru didn't even make her work this hard!

"I wish I could quit any day. This is the worst."

"Well it is better than being sent to kill people for your beloved master, isn't it? Children are no longer losing their mothers with you doing this kind of work."

Guren gritted her teeth. It was a low blow and he knew it. But when had she been concerned about these things? "I stopped that work long ago and was living peacefully before you showed up."

"But isn't it better? For both you and the boy…" Naruto pressed in a hardened tone.

Guren couldn't possibly say that this wasn't better, for Yukimaru at least. She didn't get much time to spend with him since they arrived but truly, he was happy here. He had even made a friend in the Tazuna's grandson and that was something else to cherish. She wanted him to be happy. His happiness mattered to her but it was a problem when she couldn't see it.

Finally, she looked at Naruto and then spoke in a quiet tone. "It is better for Yukimaru. He is making friends… living the life of a normal child. He is a bit frail, so being a shinobi isn't suitable for him."

Naruto smiled and then finally walked into the large space. He sat on the desk and looked at Guren. "I don't remember allowing you to buy yourself a house."

"I need a working station…" Guren said. "I was thinking I'd be just taking care Yukimaru before you showed up. Things happen…" she said with a shrug.

Naruto smiled. "I'm pretty sure you were very nice with Orochimaru. Well, his humble servants basically worshipped him."

Smiling bitterly, Guren nodded. "He knew what he was doing; he knew how to convince people to follow him. Sometimes he'd kill your entire family just to make you feel lonely and then pounces on you. He was like that…" she said. "I did something like that."

"Well that is the past…" Naruto said. "You are working here. With what I have seen, everything seems to be going well. Work being done quickly."

"But I'm working overtime…" Guren said.

"If your body is tensed up, offer it to me and will take away the tension. Being alone here, I'm sure you do get lonely some times…" Naruto said slyly.

"How unflattering…" Guren said distastefully.

"I'm going to have to ban you from saying bad things to me…" Naruto said. "How are things?"

"We are still good with money. Well, the Emperor's Palace does make a lot of money. The rail-tracks to Konoha and Towns around the Fire Nation should start next week. I have already sent people who will start building another one that will go to Suna. But at the moment, if we finish the grid around the Fire Nation, we can expand to other countries…" Guren explained. "But the trains… where are they going to be assembled?"

"Don't worry about that… I have someone building them. Well, not someone. Different villages are building them and I will buy them from those villages. I had to come with something to give allies and partners. You really have to be willing to sacrifice something in order to gain something…" Naruto said with a shake of his head.

"Shouldn't you have known this before you started negotiating? It is a basic rule: you don't go the table if you have nothing to offer."

Naruto shook his head. "You can't be good at everything…" he said. "You also can't do everything yourself. This is why I have different people doing different things. I will do what I do best."

"You mean going around causing trouble?" Guren asked with a raised eye brow.

"Hmm?" Naruto looked at the woman innocently. "What do you mean by that?"

"You know what I mean." Guren said. "I'm in your network, so they keep me informed…" she paused before asking. "Is that like a rule that we must be kept informed of what is happening around the Elemental Nations?"

"Don't you know? He that controls information controls the world." Naruto said.

"It didn't work well for Orochimaru despite everything that he knew."

"Oh, it worked well for him. Orochimaru was focused on his experiments… he gained knowledge about that and it worked well for him. That is why he was successful in his work…" Naruto said lightly. "I just cannot have ignorant people working for me. When I'm not around but you hear something, you'll be able to take decisions that you think are right. An informed decision is important in our situation."

Guren nodded. Orochimaru never gave his people the kind of information Naruto gave. His people probably knew more than he did. She was told that Naruto knew things that he knew. Things that he had to know. He didn't get the briefings that she did.

"It does help…" Guren said. "Why did you let me come here if you are going to piss off Iwagakure. I was told they'd declared war on you. They are not going to let us do our work…"

Naruto smiled. "Most of our work will be happening in Fire territory. We have permission from the Fire Daimyo to do what we are doing. If Iwa attacks, they are pissing off the Fire Country. The Wave mostly depends on its security on the Hidden Leaf… if they are having a problem, they'll likely call them."

Guren stared at Naruto. "But if it was in Uzu, they could have attacked freely…"

Naruto nodded. "They won't be hindered from attacking but this at least makes them act with caution knowing that they could earn themselves enemies."

"You are not a good person." Guren said.

"And you are a sadist…" Naruto said with a shrug.

"You do know that you are putting this country in danger, right?" Guren asked. "Yukimaru has grown to like the people here; it would be a shame if something happened."

"Nothing will happen." Naruto said. "This is why I even put you in charge. Your work will probably be the one that will be targeted. It will be your duty to protect it. But if anything dangerous happens, I will be here."

"Kiri sent the ships you leased." Guren said. "Should we start transporting things? We have gained access of some of their port activity…"

Naruto nodded. "You can but you must be careful of pirates. Bothersome bunch who like going into uncharted lands."

"You sound like you have had experience with them…' Guren said with a raised eye brow.

"Well, actually I have… I'm going to tell you a secret…" Naruto said. "I actually live in the sea. You are not going to see me if you look."

"I wouldn't even try looking…" Guren said. "The see is vast. Unless I know which sea, looking for you would be a waste of time. Whatever you have there is even probably hidden by a barrier…"

"You a sharp…" Naruto said. "I'm going to live with you for the next couple of days… If you don't have enough rooms here, we can share… I'll behave at night…"

"Why do you sound like you are really trying to get into my pants…"

"I am."

Guren blinked. She didn't expect him to say it like that with a straight face. Something was very wrong with Naruto. Were all people like this? No… she shook her head. They were not all like this. "Are you a pervert?"

Naruto smiled. Guren noticed, it was a sad smile. "No… but my sensei was. I do a lot of things and I will end up betraying friends. I ended my contact with them to soften the blow but I have made new ones. To help me manage, this kind of talk eases up my worries…"

"You can just go buy if you really need to get laid…"

Naruto shook his head. "Never…" he said. "I don't eat where any kind of animal eats. If a woman freely spreads her legs for any men with bills, that's her choice but I am not going there… well, never again. My sensei made got me drunk and took me there…"

Guren laughed. "You know, not everyone who is there goes there by choice. Some were sold, some really need the money, some a forced to go there and well, to some, it is by choice."

"That is what happens in this world…" Naruto said. "It is no wonder my sensei really tried to change it… or at least wanted to…"

"He must have really meant a lot to you…" Guren said. "Your sensei, I mean. Your expression changes when you speak about him."

Naruto silent for a couple of moments. "He was…" he said. "I was serious when I said I would be here for a couple of days. I will create an army of thousands of clones to start building the rails to the Fire Nation. Just to be on the safe side, I will make sure they transform. You don't to have me running around the Fire Nation."

"Like you did when you helped build the bridge that is named after you?"

"Yes…" Naruto responded with a smile. He created a clone. "Please fill in the clone on what is happening. From tomorrow, I will be In charge while you rest and spend time with your child."

"Are you insulting me?"

"Just do what you told…" Naruto's tone was sharp. It was the clone that responded. "If you don't need the rest I can leave you be…"

Guren blinked at stared at the disappearing Naruto and then the clone. If she found them together, she would not be able to tell which the real one is. This was indeed a unique clone. "I'm surprised that you'd give me a break."

"The boss isn't a slave owner…" the clone responded calmly.

 **Konoha**

Naruto had certainly lost the plot. Then again, maybe he really never had it to begin with. This wasn't going to bring peace. It was just making things difficult and chaotic. They were going to end up fighting war at this stage. If one village couldn't fight Naruto alone, they'd have to fight him together. Konoha would be forced to join in the fight because it would have no choice. At least the Leaf never depended on the power of Bijuus. So even if the Kyubi was gone, it wasn't a problem for them. Their strength remained intact but a village like Suna had certainly taken a massive hit.

Tsunade wished Jiraiya was here. She wouldn't need to send him after Naruto to knock some senses into him. He would be out there now, trying to fight for Naruto to stop what he was doing, to fight for the good side again. And he had been a good brat. A damn kind hearted child.

He had stepped into uncharted territory. If he had stopped with just saying things, they could have perhaps salvaged the situation but now they couldn't do anything. Tsunade couldn't do anything for him. Even if he decided to return Iwa's Jinchuriki, they would still not forgive him. They would still demand his head. He had threatened them and they would not forget. Naruto was forcing her act against him. She would not forgive him for doing this to her.

Tsunade placed the letter from Onoki on her desk. It was the third one since Naruto took their Jinchurikis. They'd been communicating with her since. Each letter angrier than the last. She wasn't rolling over. And she would not roll over for anyone. Even if she did feel responsible, she would not let Konoha be bullied. The Leaf was still the strongest. Iwagakure would not command them. Danzo would laugh at her if he allowed this village to be bullied into acting.

"Anbu." Tsunade called.

"Hokage-sama…" A masked man materialized out of nowhere.

"Get me Hatake Kakashi. Now."

"Hai." And he was gone.

"They are not toning down?" Shizune asked of Iwagakure.

Tsunade shook her head. "No… on top of this, we are not getting anywhere in figuring out who is attacking the Great Five Nations. It doesn't make me comfortable knowing that the attacks have stopped. I know more is going to come…"

She could feel it: the past attacks were just the opening act. If someone was really attacking the Great Five Nations, they were going to come back with something bigger. They had to fight against that. They had to be on the lookout for that. But they couldn't prepare because they didn't know their enemy.

Shizune really hoped that nothing more was coming. She hoped that the person was caught. This whole situation was bad. It was even affecting her master negatively.

"Hopefully we get breakthrough soon…" Shizune was as hopeful as he statement.

Kakashi appeared in the office with the Anbu. He had his book with him. "You called, Hokage-sama…" he said a bit lazily.

"Your former student… I'm going to kill him!" She shouted, airing her frustrations. "Every day it's a message from Iwa. It is always about him. Always! I swear he is trying to kill me!"

Kakashi blinked. Well, this wasn't what he was expecting to hear and see when he was called. It must really be hard for Tsunade. Kakashi really wished he could disappear from the village. Just so he avoid being made Hokage. At this rate, very soon, he was going to be made Rokudaime Hokage. He dreaded that day and he certainly didn't want to be the one responsible for troublesome situation as this.

The Jonin smiled. "Well, I wasn't much of a sensei to him…" he said.

"I didn't ask how bad of a sensei you were Kakashi…" Tsunade snapped. "And get that damned book from face!"

Well, someone is in a bad mood, today.

Kakashi quickly put away his book safely before it was snatched away from him. This was going to be one of those days. Then again, the situation is serious.

Oh, he knew. He knew that Naruto had already attacked Iwa's Jinchuriki and then took them. He knew a lot of people were now afraid, thinking that he was plotting something and was going to do something with all that power. He had the Kyubi, four and five tails. And he was already powerful himself. Any reasonable person would be worried. Kakashi was sure; even he could not win against Naruto. He really had liked it when the blond could still walk into the village and sit in this office.

Those days were over. Naruto was officially an internationally wanted criminal. His sensei would be shocked. He was going to be shocked when he does tell him in the after life. It was a bit unbelievable that it was Naruto doing this. Sasuke? Yes: the Uchiha had always been very dark. But Naruto had been pure and very kind.

Yet, he was now a wanted man.

"I guess Iwa is really demanding our cooperation now…" Kakashi said.

"Yes…" Tsunade nodded. "Onoki adds it up by making blatant threats he knows he can't back up. Even though I know he won't do it, I can't help but worry, Kakashi."

"You have every reason to worry."

"I'm thinking of quitting and let you deal with this mess."

Kakashi nearly thought of bolting out of the office. "I failed at being a sensei, I don't think I will better here…" he wanted to say it wasn't really fair for her to dump all the problems on him. He could commit suicide on the first day of work or even decide to follow one of his students just to escape the work.

"You have experience with failure… so this time around, you'll know what you need to do…" Tsunade said with a shrug.

"Being a sensei and Hokage are two different things…" Kakashi said.

Once more, Tsunade dismissed his worries. "You'll figure things out. Besides, you'll have Shizune with you. She will assist you and I will be around for advice when you need it."

Kakashi stared. This was getting dangerous. He felt that Tsunade was getting serious in her talk. He knew there was no one who could take the position as things still stand but still, she was doing fine. "You are being serious, aren't you?"

"Of course, I am…" Tsunade said firmly. "Think about it. I won't happen now. We have to get out of this mess and then we can talk."

Kakashi merely nodded. He had to survive things though. With shinobi, you never know.

"We will have to stop Naruto, Kakashi. I didn't want to do it and I didn't think I would have to do it but this is getting too dangerous… we have to stop him."

It has come to this point. He had two of his students who had turned away from the Leaf. He was truly a failure. Had things been different, both Naruto and Sasuke would've been huge for the Leaf. It would certainly be bad if they joined up forces but Kakashi still didn't want them to fight each other. Those two would kill each other if they fought. But it might be that for things to end, they might have to face off.

"I am his sensei… I will be ready when you call…"

Tsunade stared at Kakashi for a moment before nodding. "If he has gone to Iwa, he will eventually head to Kumo and strike. If he succeeds, it will be war. He won't have room to move because they will hunt him and we will be in the picture. If we refuse to help, they might see us as the enemy. Keep in mind that we still have another enemy that us unknown. This will make it difficult for us to win against this enemy should we be fighting against the other villages."

"So we have to help them…"

Tsunade nodded. "I knew he said it. I heard him and I believed him but I still didn't think he'd do it. He did it and will continue until they are all free or whatever it is that he is planning. It might come a point where were will have to kill Naruto, Kakashi. I would honestly prefer that than handing him over to either Kumo or Iwa. Who knows what they'd do to him? We can't keep him alive because really, we risk an invasion."

Kakashi wondered just how much Tsunade was hurting just for saying those words. He knew just how close the blond was to the woman. He brought her back to this village. They were like family. She lost Jiraiya and now she had lost Naruto.

It was sad

"I will do what needs to be done, Hokage-sama…" Kakashi said firmly. He would ease her burden. She didn't have to do it. He would carry that burden. He would live with the guilt of knowing that one day; he was going to try to kill the son of a man who treated him like a son.

Kakashi really felt like standing in the grave site already.

Tsunade nodded. Her sadness showed on her face. It showed in her eyes. "They are building trains in the Wave country and we have already given permission for them to come here. From what I understand, the Feudal Lords have agreed to them built in their lands. Although it stinks Naruto, we can't deny that they will simplify things. Transportation will be much easier.

"The danger is that Iwa and Kumo might target them. I don't know if they will target those coming into their villages since I heard that there are plans to connect all hidden villages, but they will try to destroy it because it has Naruto involved." Tsunade shook her head. "I honestly don't know what he is trying to do with this."

"Whatever it is, we can be sure that he will be willing to defend them from destruction."

More battles. It was going to be bloodshed. But if the villages couldn't get him; they would stick to destroying his work in order to draw him out. Kakashi hoped that innocent people would not be used just to kill Naruto. Just to draw out Naruto. He would even be disappointed with the blond if he allowed it to happen.

"That is another thing that worries me the most…" Tsunade said. "I will probably meet the Kages soon and we will discuss the issue. I will try to talk against destroying something that will be helpful but I doubt they will listen."

Kakashi nodded. He could see that happening.

"I wanted you to be informed and aware what you will need to do Kakashi. I know I am placing a lot on your shoulders but I really don't have a choice…" Tsunade said. "I will watch Sakura to ensure that she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Like going after Sasuke?" Kakashi asked. "I got the feeling that we might not have to worry about him."

"He gave that impression which is why I am not prioritising him…" Tsunade said. "You can leave."

"Hai."

Once the Jonin was gone, Tsunade leaned back to her chair, a rather miserable mask settled on her face. She had to make this choice. She had to do things she didn't want to do because of the decisions that Naruto had made. Why did it have to come to this point? Had Jiraiya been here, she would have been able to share the burden with him, or maybe perhaps he would come up with a better strategy.

But she was alone.

Jiraiya was gone.

 **Wave Country**

Guren stared at Naruto with curious look on her face: every day since he relieved her of her duties – temporarily – he came to this office and sat down. He worked without complaining and with an expressionless mask on his face. He put in hours she couldn't think of putting. When woke up, he was working, by the time she went to bed, he would still be working. He did take breaks, but he was working too hard. Not mention the number of clones he had every day to help out. Everything within the Wave country was done. The Uzumaki tower was completed. Well, that was how fast things when you had two thousand clones working on it.

"Didn't you say you were leaving today?" Guren asked as she stepped into her office. Well, she was going to leave it and go to the tallest tower in the Wave country.

"That hasn't changed…" Naruto said calmly. "I just need to finish a couple of things. You know, I was working a bit recklessly because I might never get the chance to look at papers like this again. That aside, we are still building, it is best to ensure there are no cracks to the foundation. Should there be any, things can fall apart at any moment, I want to avoid that."

"You're not going to focus on this?" Guren asked curiously. She didn't think she would be running this for the rest of her life. She was thinking he was making her do the ground work while he runs rampart around the Elemental Nations. Once down, he would return to take his rightful place.

Naruto shook his head. "In any village or organization, there needs to be a proper structure to ensure that things run smoothly. In our world shinobi, we have a chain of command. It is very fundamental and we need this in the Company. My focus will remain elsewhere and I don't have any real interest in working at the tower, so I have created a chain of command that will not need me. I have reviewed your work so far, and I am happy with the decisions you have made. You will be informed, to ensure you make the right decisions.

"Saying this, I mean you will run the Uzumaki Company, no one else but you. You will have people who will advise you, but you will be the 'executive.' I will leave you with negotiating trade deals. Basically, you will do everything. But keep in mind that your sadism and the way you did things with Orochimaru have no room here. But you can still use information you receive to your advantage. Maybe it's ethically wrong, but like I said, those who control information, control people. Eventually, you will be made leader of the Wave Country and when that happens…."

Naruto pointed at five scrolls. "These have guidelines, a couple of plans, information you need for the business. I might come to check on your progress, but I won't get involved…" he stood up and took the scroll in the middle and walked over to Guren. "This scroll contains very important company documents, keep it safe, but don't open. You will know when to open it. For now, I have to go back to work."

Guren stared at the scroll. She was curious about what was really inside that she couldn't see but could only open when the time is right? It was things like this that made your curious. He could also be lying, and the scroll was empty. Maybe this was a test of faith. He just wanted to see if she could be trust.

"You going back to gathering the Jinchurikis?"

Naruto shook his head. "I am not gathering them… I'm merely freeing the Bijuus. Of course, people don't understand this. But I am not concerned about that. Nevertheless, I do hope they come to understand it."

"You know, for some reason, I'm starting to think you really don't have any interest in using the Bijuus for some hidden agenda."

"Of course I don't…" Naruto said calmly. "I am even going to release the Bijuu sealed within me, I would have to make some preparations to make sure I don't die. Life is unfair in the sense that you may have the ability to save other people, but you really can't save yourself."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I can bring other people from the dead, at a cost of my lifespan but I can't do the same for myself…" Naruto said. "If I am not careful and make proper arrangements before releasing the Bijuu sealed within me, I will die."

Guren merely stared.

There was that risk, and yet he was going to do it. Guren couldn't understand his reasons. She couldn't understand what motivates him. She knew this company was going to grow so powerful it would influence politics played by villages. Naruto knew this, and he was creating it for this purpose, and yet, he could do something that would leave him without seeing the rise of his company.

Guren followed him outside without saying a word. He summoned his large bird and then jumped atop of it before it flew off. Couldn't he use space/time ninjutsu? It wasn't the first time she was seeing using that bird as means for transportation.

She shook her head and went back inside.

 **Kirigakure**

It was around night when Mei nearly jumped off her feet when she saw Naruto standing by the entrance of her living room. This was her house and she didn't let him in. in the last time he has been here, he has never been in her house. It was unprecedented and she was honestly surprised to see him here at this time of the night. She was already resting from another day in the office.

She glanced at him curiously; he was staring back at her, his eyes almost trying to hypnotize her. She blinked once and then shook her head to thought of being hypnotized by those eyes.

"Can I come in?"

Mei thought of snorting. He was already inside her house. He could as well even just walk in here and take the remote while making himself comfortable. "You have already stepped inside; I don't think you need my permission."

"Can I go back outside and knock at the door?" Naruto asked.

Mei raised an eye brow at this. "If you thought that was proper, you would have done it in the first place before walking inside."

"I didn't want to be seen around by your people. I am a very wanted person in the Elemental Nations. I'd rather not invite you to any pressures from other Kages…" Naruto explained lightly. There could also be internal politics to consider. If she was known to be running around with a wanted criminal, it wouldn't do well for her reputation.

Naruto didn't want to ruin that. His reputation could be in tatters for all he cared, for him it was fine. He didn't have to worry about it. He walked this path knowing that his reputation could be destroyed. But for the greater good, a little mud in his name was nothing. People have always had bad opinions about him. When he was younger, he was the Kyubi brat, a demon spawn, criminal was nothing.

After a couple of thoughts, Mei responded. "That is rather thoughtful of you…" she said calmly. "You can come in…"

Naruto nodded and slowly walked over. He sat down beside the woman who was dressed in blue sleeping gowns. He'd never seen her in this kind of clothing – a grown woman, looking so pleasant. He looked at her hands; she was holding a cup, a bottle of sake on her small coffee table. Naruto smiled sadly and then went back to looking at the fine woman, But before he could say anything, the Mizukage spoke.

"Is there something that you like?"

"Oh yes…" Naruto said with a nod, a smile on his lips – it was no longer a sad smile. "I'd always thought you were beautiful but these clothes are a bit revealing and they just entice you to look."

"You have already welcomed yourself to my home; you can look until you are satisfied…" The Godaime Mizukage said before taking a sip.

"I'd think a bit deeply and wouldn't be able to stop myself from taking you to the bed… or just tearing off the clothes right here…" Naruto said slyly.

"Oh?" Mei returned his smile. "What is stopping you?"

"I don't know if you are available for the taking."

"Ask, and you shall be answered."

Naruto smiled but he didn't ask. He took out a storage scroll and unsealed his two bottles. It was moments like this when you could afford to get drunk. He had more sealed up. He could unseal them once these are done. There was nothing wrong with getting, drunk was there? This was a safe place. He had made sure of it before deciding to step in. Mei was a good gentle person. He knew that much. He wouldn't wake up in the morning with chakra seals binding his movements.

"Are you always this lonely?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Well, I am not married… but yes, it is always like this, every night…"

Naruto closed his eyes and enjoyed the comfort of the sofa. He took a huge gulp and then swallowed hard. Ah, it always hit the good spot.

"Do you want to free me from this loneliness?"

Naruto smiled, "I'm a criminal, a wanted person by people who wanted to torture me until my body gives out."

Mei shrugged carelessly. "To those people, not to me… we haven't had many moments, but In those moments, I discovered that you are a good person. I also believe that you don't plan to use the powers of the Bijuus for any reason; you only want to do what you said you want to do. You even came to my house because you think I believe you, right?"

Naruto didn't respond immediately: he first took another sip before speaking. "You know, during the past weeks, I have been reading reports about my intensions. I am an evil person who wants to use the powers of the Bijuus, maybe to rule the world. People don't want to believe that I really just want to free the Bijuus. If I was getting crazy, I'd think that maybe it is true, I have other reasons.

"Anyway, I did come here because I think I can trust you. Your village is away from the other nations inland, and I really do think you are a kind person. Perhaps we are both wrong, but we are here. I don't know much, but I came here because I wanted to."

"Doesn't that settle things then?" Mei asked, without looking at the blond. "If I am going to stab you in the back because people think you want to rule the world when I know it isn't true, what would that make me?"

"A damn traitor." Naruto said.

"Which I am not and will not do… as long as we stay good."

"I'm sure we will be on good terms…" Naruto said. "I'm going to attack Kumogakure and the Raikage is going to fight, but he will not win. Once that is done, the rest isn't a problem and I can handle it in a single day. I wasn't the most liked person in Konoha… I really did struggle to make friends, but I did make them. People accepted me. Jiraiya was like a parent to me; he taught me many things, how to drink, the foundation of my skills, how to approach a woman… but now he is gone. There is Tsunade… when I first met here, she was a wreck: A woman who'd given up on everything because she had lost her loved ones.

"I convinced her that all was not lost and she went back to Konoha. She was a medic but with hemophobia, she suffered it for many years and only managed to fight it to save my life. We really became close. She lost Jiraiya, her past. I am here… once I attack Kumo, she will have no choice but to turn Konoha's arms at me. It must be hard on her. To be forced into a choice where she has to kill someone she loves, to protect the things she swore to protect."

Mei grabbed the bottle on Naruto's hand and poured on her cup, and handed it back before taking a sip. "Bitter…" she said. "I'm going to get drunk quickly with this…"

"I don't like slow poisons…" Naruto said.

The Mizukage laughed at this. She then went silent before speaking. "Are you thinking of quitting?"

Naruto shook his head. "I am just sad for her…" he said. "But I will not quit… I want to make this world a peaceful place to live in…"

"You're not exactly getting close as things stand… if you manage to take Kumo's Jinchuriki, you become the biggest threat anyone has ever faced. There can be no peace as long as you live. People will always live in fear as long as you are alive. You will be hunted. Blood will be shed in search for you. Innocent people will get in the crossfire. Anyone that has a connection with you will be hunted. Some people will fight back. It is just going to be a chaotic situation. "

"I know that. I knew that things could not work out with my presence after taking the Bijuus. But I had no other choice but to use force where necessary. If I had started with the campaign of influence and then go on to use force to take the Bijuus, everything would crumble. There will be no village with a Jinchuriki and I will make it impossible for them to get them. But my continued presence really does mean the company will be hindered and people will die.

"I have a way to deal with things. But I will need you to help me with it."

"As long as my villager isn't put in any danger."

"Things won't get that far…" Naruto said. "I will be making preparations but I will see. Once I take Kumo's Bijuus, there will be likely a situation where Kages have to agree to hunt me down. I will decide on the outcome of the summit on what I must do."

Mei was thoughtful for a couple of moments. "If there is a plan to hunt you down, you want me to agree with it?"

Naruto nodded. "It is best for your village. I am just one person… but do fight against the needless destruction of my company. If you are willing to support plans for my death, they shouldn't complain. If that happens, you will know what I want you to do for me."

Mei took a sip. This was just a bit too much. She was sitting with a good person who was saying she should support methods to kill him. He knew that there wouldn't be peace if he continued to live, and yet he wasn't willing to die. But why would she support the hunt of his death if he wasn't going allow people to kill him? She couldn't understand. He did have a plan, and she was afraid to know more about it.

"What happens when you are finally cornered?"

Naruto smiled. "You shall see, Mei. But if things work out well, I will 'die' for the sake of peace. Perhaps I might even go out with a bang."

Mei shook her head. "What are you really planning, Naruto?"

"If you can trust me, I will explain it to you." Naruto said calmly. "That is that… why do you afford to be alone in this world, Mei? I have realized that there is no better joy than being with someone. The union between a man and a woman is especially a sweet thing…"

"I've always thought of being married, but I've never found anyone…"

Naruto smiled. "When this is all over, when people are happy and the nations are able to sit together without the other pointing a finger at the other, let us get married."

Mei laughed. "Says a dead man…" she said. "Don't get my hopes up like that…"

Naruto shook his head, "But I am serious. I don't know you well, and I can't say I am in love with you, but I think I can fall in love with you. I think I can live happily with you." He then paused for a moment before smiling. "There is another possibility that also gives me hope. It is slim but a possibility."

"What?"

"That the Raikage is able to understand my reasons if I make him understand. If that happens, there will be no fear. Kumo won't hunt for me. If Kumo resists, Konoha will step away, so will you and Suna. At that point, it will just be Iwa alone in the wilderness. In that scenario, I am able to live freely."

"That presents a more realistic chance of your marrying me."

Naruto faced the woman. "Then, shall we hope?"

 **Sunagakure**

Gaara was honestly starting to have second thoughts on what he had to do about this situation that surrounded him. He frowned at the thought that things were going to get dangerous from now on and it will be worse if Naruto succeeds in Kumo. No, he shook his head; the blond was going to succeed. Tsunade had made it clear that she thought he was going to succeed and she was working on that assumption. Well, considering that he has already gone to Kumo before defeated the Raikage, there was little doubt that he was going to fail.

The problem here was that the Hidden Stone had basically threatened war with anyone who is known to shelter the blond. Kumogakure was going to join in on the same path as well and should that happen, Sunagakure could not afford to be seen as an ally of Naruto – if that happened; he would have to be concerned about the safety of this village and his shinobi.

Gaara knew what he would have to do if his village was threatened but he wanted to avoid a situation in which he had to think take the decision he would have to do. Naruto had yet to even come here to this village. It was a problem. He already knew he didn't need Shukaku's power to control the Sand. His abilities would not be affected if he allowed Naruto to release the Bijuu inside of him and he thought it would also ease up things in the village from those who still feared the power inside of him.

He wasn't just thinking about what Naruto wanted to do when he agreed to the plan's plan, h was also thinking about his village and he had yet to change his mind. But if it came to a point where he was the last Jinchuriki, there was a chance that he would find himself being shielded by other Kages – that would complicate things.

"What is Konoha saying?"

Gaara looked at his sister for a moment before staring at the letter from Tsunade. "They have resolved to kill Naruto."

Temari wasn't surprised really. It was only a matter of time before things went to this point. Yet, it had to have been a difficult situation for them. A hard decision for them to make. "But who do they have who is capable of killing Naruto?" She frowned, she felt somehow saying those words. Temari shook her head, she didn't need this now.

Gaara shook his head. "I assume they are going to make plans…" he said. "It is likely that we will be joining forces to fight him…"

"We?"

The Kazekage nodded his head slightly. "It apparently is the only option and I doubt Naruto doesn't know that this will happen. If we decide to stay out, Kumo and Iwa look at us with suspicion. It will be a problem if we have a Summit while I still the Bijuu inside of me…"

Temari smiled, almost bitterly. "So, now it is much safer for you to be without a Bijuu…" she said. "If we remain the only ones with a Bijuu, we become threat to those villages and they will do anything to remove that threat. They might also think that we planned this with Naruto in order to strengthen our position."

"At such point, Suna's security becomes threatened…" Gaara said. "I really do need to talk to him. I don't know if I will be able to fight someone who saved my life. But I understand that the Kages might be forced to enter into an alliance to fight Naruto."

"The Kages are usually the strongest and in this case, normal shinobi will just get slaughtered if they fight Naruto." Temari was a bit bitter about that because she knew she was powerless against that person. She didn't even want to fight him. But it looked like they would be forced to fight not because he was their enemy but because of 'peer pressure.' It was laughable. "But we may not have a choice regardless of what Naruto, thinks won't we?"

Gaara shook his head. "I don't know about that…" he said. "We also need to talk to Naruto about this new threat that we face."

"Do you think he knows something?"

Gaara nodded. "He does." He had to know something and if he was on their side, he would say something about it. Konoha said it wasn't Naruto because they knew when the incidents happened, Naruto wasn't in the Elemental Nations. But Gaara hadn't thought that it was Naruto. The blond would never do something like that.

"So if he does know, we can do something about it…" That at least made Temari smiled. Her smiled suddenly vanished when a thought came to mind. "But do you think he will have any interest in helping if we let him know of what is being plotted?"

"Yes…" Gaara said with a nod. "Temari, do you think Naruto is a bad person?"

She shook her head. "I really do think he is a good person."

"Then if he is really a good person, he will help us deal with this situation. We can't let this threat go on forever."

 **Hidden Leaf**

It was never really a pleasant thing when someone came to you and said, 'we need to talk.' Ino was nervous about the whole situation because she had a nagging feeling when Naruto spoke those words to her and now she was staring at him blankly. He wasn't smiling as he usually did. He had an unusually serious look on his face. It was like he was readying himself for a battle – a battle to death.

"So, what has been happening in the Leaf?" Naruto asked calmly.

"Nothing much…" Ino said with a shrug. "Things got destroyed. Sasuke was here and I heard he is looking for you."

"I heard about that…" Naruto said. "His presence in the village at least. Surprising, he'd just walk into the village and then leave. But I can understand why Tsunade didn't try to get catch him… she does have much more important issues to deal with…"

"Yes… you and the attacks."

Naruto smiled. "What did he want?"

"How should I know?"

"You know things your father knows… aren't you learning under him?"

"…Asked about the Uchiha massacre, which is strange since we know exactly what happened... But they are asking about it since his questions raise the possibilities that there might be something deeper. There is still no shred of evidence to suggest otherwise. I don't think they will get anything no matter how they look…"

Uchiha massacre? Sasuke already met his brother; there was obviously something that happened between them. When they met, he seemed a little different. He hadn't been too bothered to ask but now he was curious. He wanted to know what the Uchiha was thinking and plotting. If he was asking about him, he would have to eventually see him to know what he wants.

"That is indeed a curious subject…" Naruto said. "Sakura didn't run after him?"

Ino managed a smile. "She has grown you know… she focused on her duties but she might likely go after him. She is getting frustrated. We are no longer teenagers any more. She is tired of dreaming being in his comfort, holding his babies."

Naruto laughed at this. "Oh, what a poor girl…" he said. "Your dreams as well?"

"I'm not a child anymore, so of course, I have dreams… don't you have them?"

"It is honestly difficult for me to dream… most of my thoughts begin with 'if only.' That is that…" he said with a sigh.

Ino stared at him for a long minute. "What did you want to talk about, Naruto?"

"Listen carefully, Ino. I'm already marked as an international criminal. I have been safe recently, but tomorrow, I will be in Kumogakure, fighting there. From now on, people will die when facing me. I will have blood in my hands. People will desire to kill me. They will hate me. They will hate everything that is connected to my name. I don't want you crying for me, I don't want you to throw your life away… you can still love someone and have a happy future."

Ino glared at Naruto. "You're not going to waste my time and then dump me, Naruto. That aside, I don't care if you are a criminal. You're not getting rid of me."

Naruto sighed: he should have known that this would happen. "I won't be seeing you… at least not now. I will be busy with missions and trying to ensure that things take off. I would rather not have my plans fall flat in destruction."

"Just make sure that you make an appearance, Uzumaki." Ino said. "I swear I will hunt you down until I find you."

Yes, he never told her anything about his work. It had been safer that way. He was now starting to see the benefit of keeping things to yourself. Not everyone had to know everything. Ino was especially a risk he could not take. But he was glad: Perhaps a bit pleased that she was still willing to walk with him even though he was now branded a criminal and would be known for killing people.

Did he ever think that there would be someone who would stick with him no matter what?

No, it was a first.

And it was over love.

What a funny world this was.

But hopefully, the Raikage understands things and they are able to work out things without anyone hunting him down. That could work.

 **End of chapter**

 **Once more, thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. I think I responded to all those who had questions.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	18. Chapter 18

Yugito's body froze: Naruto was standing in front of her. This was her home. Her place. He had come for her. How did he even arrive in the village without anyone seeing him? She was a bit afraid. She knew why he was here. She was afraid of tomorrow. Afraid of the life she would have to live without her Bijuu. She wouldn't know how to live. She was used to being a Jinchuriki; to have the beast live inside of her. She couldn't imagine life being any different. She had tried to think about. It had given her some ideas.

But she was confused.

Did she even have a tomorrow? Would she be alive? Iwagakure's Jinchuriki were nowhere to be seen. He had taken them. They were probably dead. He was here for her. Was she going to die as well? Was he going to kill her? Was he going to take her as he did to Iwa? Yugito couldn't tell. But he had seemed honest back then. He had seemed like he was telling the truth. Even the Bijuu inside of her had confirmed it. He could not have tricked them, could he?

Yugito relaxed slightly. She stared into those eyes of his. He was looking back at her, hands folded against his chest, an amused look on his face. What was so funny? She couldn't see anything amusing. She was thinking about life or death here.

"Are you going to let me in, Yugito?" Naruto finally spoke. "If I stay around here, I might be seen by someone…"

Yugito stared. He'd infiltrated the village, she realized. But he was still waiting there, waiting for her to invite him into her home. "I'm sure this place will become a battleground if that were to happen…"

"You understand then…" Naruto said.

Yugito didn't nod. "I do, but why shouldn't I call for them myself? I'm going to be suspected of being an accomplice if I'm seen with you."

"Can I come in?"

Yugito stared. She stepped out of the way and he walked in. She closed the door and leaned against it. She locked it. She didn't want anyone seeing her with him. She would be in danger. He saved her life. She was grateful. But she didn't want anything that would risk Kumo or the life that he saved.

She tensed when Naruto leaned over to her. His hand touched her chin and he stared into her eyes. She could feel his warm breath. She could feel the overwhelming power being mightily suppressed.

Suddenly, he let her go and she breathed once more. He went on to make himself comfortable. She followed shortly. "I can understand why you are concerned. I have not been having good stories being written about me…"

"And somehow you don't even sound concerned by it…" Yugito said.

Naruto shrugged. "I have thought of things. Looking all displeased isn't going to solve anything. But it is a fact that I did take Iwa's Jinchuriki."

"And the attacks?"

"What of them?"

Yugito hesitated. He was being blamed for them. Both Kumo and Iwagakure were blaming him for them, but not Suna and Konoha. They had different thoughts. Yugito didn't know much: Even when it came to his movements. Perhaps they are worried that she will take his offer and choose the life of a normal kunoichi without a Bijuu nesting within her. That was the possibility. She hadn't made decision to become a host. They had made it for her.

"Everyone is saying you but for some reason, I don't think you did it…" Yugito said. "Am I wrong?"

Naruto shook his head. "No… you are not wrong, Yugito. I did not do it. Someone has a grudge against me and is trying to frame me."

"Do you know who?"

Naruto nodded. "I have seen him once…" he said. "He wants these eyes of mine. I know why and perhaps it is good that I have them. Because what he plans to do with them is very dangerous…" the blond shook his head. "Problem is I don't know who he is and where he dwells. I just have to deal with him the next time he appears before me."

Yugito nodded. Silence fell for a moment before she spoke. "So, are you here…."

"Yes… I am here…" Naruto said. "I thought you'd be hidden as the Raikage's brother…" he said.

"We are not the same. Bee isn't a bad person but the Raikage is very protective of him. He doesn't allow him to even leave the village unless they are together. They only used to do missions together before A-sama became Raikage but after that, he's been very protective of Bee."

"No same treatment then…" Naruto said. "But you can go. You are here… are you the bait?"

"Maybe…" Yugito said with a shrug of her shoulder. "To them, I should have all reasons to have this burden lifted off me. So that makes me suspicious."

"Well, in our younger days, we all wished we were not Jinchurikis. We wished we were normal. But we get used to it over time…" Naruto said with a small smile. "I will also release the Bijuu inside of me and I will forever be a Jinchuriki…"

Yugito looked confused. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"To protect the future…" Naruto said. "Why do you think the Akatsuki wanted to collect Bijuus?"

"I don't know…" Yugito said with a shake of her head.

"They wanted to give birth to something that once lived before. What do you get when you combine the power of all ten Bijuus?" Naruto asked.

"Something ridiculously powerful?" Yugito said with a raised eye brow.

Naruto smiled. "Yes…" he said. "Do you know that in its full power the Kyubi could possibly defeat all other Bijuus on its own?"

Yugito stared. She was honestly surprised. She knew the Kyubi was the strongest but she didn't think it was that powerful. "Are you sure you are not overstating its strength?"

"That is the truth…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Just because the Hachibi has 8 tails doesn't mean that it is only one tail weaker than the Kyubi. Even if you match the five and four tails doesn't mean that they will equal the Kyubi. This is why even when all the Bijuus were captured, it remained…"

"How did it get captured?"

"In the current generation, there is no one who would have the strength to subdue it…" Naruto said without responding to Yugito's question. "Do you know the story of the Sage of Six Paths?"

Yugito nodded. Kumo used to have many tools that were once said to have been tools of the legendary Sage of Six paths. But she didn't know much even though she nodded her head. "What does he have anything to do with the Bijuus?"

In response to this, Naruto smiled. "You should ask the Bijuu inside of you," he said. "Understand the history, the origins. Perhaps you might fear something that I could do since I am capable of doing it, but I'm telling you to learn the history. But keep it to yourself, it should open your understanding of Bijuus. I haven't told any of the other Jinchurikis and I would rather have them ignorant of it. They can know if they ask… but they won't."

This was all something Yugito was not expecting: here she was, having a pleasant conversation with a man who was wanted by her village. Wasn't it wrong for her to do this? Kumo wasn't going to be pleased. She would be treated with suspicion for the rest of her life. That was something she could not have. Her loyalty towards her village was unquestionable. Anyone who questions it would be insulting her, but she would be questioned.

"I am going to have the time to even do that?" Yugito asked. "I'm assuming that you came here in order to take her away from me and I don't think there is actually anything I can do to stop it…" she said in a defeated tone.

"Don't sound so miserable…" Naruto said with a smile. "You'll make me feel bad."

"As you should…" Yugito said with a stare. "Because of you, I will be questioned and I am in this situation. Tell me, why did you save me? Why didn't you just do it there instead of making me return here like this?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "I wanted to give you time to think. I wanted to give you a choice…" he shook his head. "It isn't really much of a choice, but we enjoy the freedom to make choices for ourselves and what is best for us. For once in your, you can be allowed be selfish. You will never experience the joys of life, happiness when all you do is sacrifice yourself. It is good to give yourself to others, and perhaps you might die without any regrets, but if you experience happiness, making choices for you, you are even content with your life.

"We have not been given much of choices in our lives. You were put into this situation. For most of your life you have fought for this village. You love it. And still think to continue to fight for it, and I don't want to take that away from you, but I want to give you an opportunity to live, without being called a Jinchuriki, without the burden. Of course, I do understand you may no longer consider it a burden, but I must still do it."

"Iwa's Jinchuriki?" Yugito asked curiously.

"You think they are dead…" It was a statement not a question. "Well, I can't blame you for thinking that. They are very much alive. But they are somewhere… since they didn't have that good of a relationship with their Bijuus, there will not be a connection between them. They should nevertheless return to Iwa in the near future. I do think they are likely to be dismissed. They are treated as weapons, what use is a weapon that no longer functions?"

Yugito frowned upon hearing those words. She really hoped that she didn't suffer the same consequences.

"You need not worry…." Naruto said in a firm tone. "I told you, you'd still have a connection with the Bijuu within you… and you'll be able to use some of its powers. You won't be able to transform, but you won't be completely useless…"

Yugito sighed and stared at the ceiling for a long minute. This was happening. She had already talked it through with Matatabi but the Bijuu appeared to be content with everything she was willing to do. Any decision was fine. Naruto could be trusted she said. But it wasn't about trust; it was about what this decision would do to Kumogakure.

"I don't suppose if I said I wanted more time to think, you'd walk away…" Yugito said, eyeing Naruto at the corner of her eyes.

Naruto shook his head. "I think I have given you plenty time to think. You know what is happening out there. The clouds of war are beginning to gather. I can't afford to take things slowly," he said. "You still want to talk some more?"

Yugito stared at him fully before shaking her head. "It's strange that I can talk to you so freely…" she said with a smile.

"I may have been hated in my younger days but I wasn't that much of a bad person when it came to communicating. My training days with Jiraiya-sensei also taught me much about communicating. That aside, we have something in common to discuss…" Naruto said with a slight shrug of his shoulder. "Admittedly, I think I am giving you the special treatment. I was more than ready to fight Iwa's Jinchuriki, perhaps it was because they had no close bonds with the Bijuus sealed within them…" he said with a shake of his head.

"Special treatment?" Yugito asked with a laugh. "Perhaps…" she said, standing up. "Let us do this… but you are going to fight some people."

Naruto nodded. He was expecting it. He wasn't going to tell her that some people would die if he was pushed. He didn't want to make her an accomplice to this situation if she was asked.

Naruto stood and allowed Yugito to drag him to a secluded place. It was a rocky terrain, not too far from the village. Looking around, Naruto nodded, this would do. But he would still have to teleport the Bijuu to some place safe. "Show me your seal…"

Yugito stared at him for a long moment. "Why do you want to see it?"

Naruto raised an eye brow. "It isn't on your thigh, is it?" He then smiled at the thought. "If it is, I'm not going to close my eyes when you strip."

"Can you be so shameless?"

Naruto shrugged carelessly. "We are both adults," he said. "Then?"

Yugito showed him the seal. The blond stared at it for a couple of moments before shaking his head. "This is no wonder Uzumaki were the best…" he said before his fingers glowed with chakra. "Since you are willing, I will do it this way, but it will be painful and you will die."

The dying part hadn't been something that Yugito had brought up with him but before she could say anything, unimaginable pain shot through her after Naruto loosened the seal and began extracting Matatabi. It took no more than a minute for him to take out the chakra and the Bijuu roared to life on the side. Yugito's body fell on the ground lifelessly.

Naruto stood still, the Bijuu's power was making waves. Kumo's people would be coming at any moment. "How does it feel to be free?"

"Fine…" Matatabi said without any excitement. "Are you going to revive her?"

Naruto stared at the person on the ground before speaking. "Do you know what it costs to revive someone? Suna has a forbidden jutsu for reanimation… you basically exchange your life and offer it to someone else. Reviving a single person shouldn't be a problem…"

Matatabi asked. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Naruto merely smiled. He didn't respond to the question but held his hands together.

As this was happening, hundreds of Kumo shinobi surrounded the area. Naruto didn't mind them. He revived Yugito and then turned to face Matatabi. He needed to get the Bijuu out of this place but he first needed to give Yugito some of its chakra. "Give me some of your chakra…" Naruto said walking towards the Bijuu.

They were not making any moves because they could see the Bijuu was free. Naruto was thankful for this. Yugito was still recovering. He could move. Without questioning him, the two-tails gave him some of its chakra. Naruto then walked over to Yugito and did a couple of hand seals. He slammed the palm of his hand on her gut.

The moment he stood up, he felt lightning cracking. He summoned Kurama's chakra and held out his right hand. The Raikage flashed before him, " **Shinra Tensei**!" The jutsu slammed into the Raikage and sent him flying away from Naruto.

" **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" He did hand seals and slammed them on the ground. A perfect replica of him appeared in a puff of smoke. "Transport the Bijuu to Uzu…" Naruto said.

The clone didn't say anything; it disappeared in a blur and appeared atop of Matatabi. Within the blink of an eye, they disappeared in a flash. "If you want to play, please enter the field."

A walked towards, he was unharmed, a heated glare on his yes. "I see the snake as decided to shed its skin…" he said to Naruto. He spared Yugito a glance before arming himself fully with the full power of his lightning cloak. "Where is my Bijuu?"

"Ridiculous." Naruto said with a shake of his head. "I have been playing nice with you people. You want a reason to loath my existence, yes, I will give you one. Now, if you want to fight me, face me. I have other things to do."

The Raikage disappeared in a flash; he appeared in front of Naruto, slightly above the ground with a punch head towards Naruto's face. The blond jumped back slightly to avoid the punch.

The moment he touched down the ground, two shinobi appeared behind him, flashing their swords towards his back. Two chakra hands burst out and grabbed both shinobi by their faces, they were brutally slammed to the ground.

Black lightning wolves lunged towards him in blinding speed. Naruto summoned his sword and twisted once before cutting through the jutsu. He was forced to jump up when he sensed lightning striking from the heavens. He avoided the jutsu and landed a distance away. A man flashed in front of him, right foot swinging towards his upper body. Naruto's long blade cut through the air, and sliced the man in half.

When no one attacked, he stopped and paused. "This is boring…" He muttered and flipped his sword over to his left hand. He held out his right hand, and formed a small Bijuudama, but he added wind chakra into it. The jutsus centre was dark with pale wind blades spinning furiously.

He flung the jutsu towards Kumo shinobi. Upon contact, the jutsu exploded into a loud work of flames and powerful gusts of winds that caused those who were not caught in the explosion to make a run for it to shield themselves. There was a large mushroom that picked up from the explosion.

Naruto wasn't given time to admire his handy work as A suddenly flashed in front of him, punching him straight on his chest with a ferocious strike that sent him flying. He flipped several times before landing on one knee. A was above him, his right foot crashing down on his head. Naruto jumped out of the way and watched as A's foot crashed to the ground.

He then lifted his right foot and tried to kick A on his left shoulder but the Raikage disappeared in a blur.

Naruto charged towards the man and the made contact while the Raikage was still in mid-air. Naruto had tried to punch the Raikage but his punch was blocked. Chakra hands burst forwards and tried to grab the man's legs, but once more, the Raikage sped away,

Naruto frowned as he too made the distance and landed on the ground. For a second, he opened himself and A lunged forward. " **Lariat!"**

The moment he made contact with Naruto, the blond activated his jutsu. " **Gakido**!" the jutsu worked quickly in absorbing the man's chakra and before A could make an escape, Naruto grabbed the man's left hand. Naruto swung his sword: his swing hit in a lightning fast motion and by the time A separated away from Naruto, his left hand remained behind.

Naruto was holding it. He didn't even look at it as lightning burst forward with incredible power and turned the hand into ashes.

"Raikage-sama!" He could hear the shouts, but Naruto didn't care for it. He stalked towards the bleeding man who was now surrounded by his shinobi.

In a lightning fast motion, he threw his sword towards the group – it was coated with wind chakra. He had increased his weight to the maximum before throwing it. The speed in which it travelled was ridiculously fast. The sword pierced through the back of one shinobi and continued its march towards the kneeling Raikage.

Out of sheer instincts, A tilted his head to the side. He watched the sword fly over the right side of his face, but he noticed it as it went by, his lightning cloak was being absorbed. Unexpectedly, Naruto switched places with his sword. No one moved in time as the blond grabbed the Raikage by the back of his neck with both his hands and then disappeared.

Naruto appeared next to his sword with the Raikage being lifted up in the air: his lightning cloak gone – Naruto had absorbed the man's chakra to the point of near exhaustion. "If I keep you alive, you'll continue to chase after me. I have the power to destroy this village and kill everyone in it, but I do not have that desire. I want to believe that you are a reasonable person. Perhaps I am naïve in thinking that if I spare your life, you'll consider things carefully. Even so, I want to believe." Naruto slammed his left palm on A's chest. "I am giving you a choice, stop trying to fight me and leave me alone, should you fight me, you will definitely burst."

He dropped the man on the ground. A clutched his chest with his remaining hand. "What did you do to me?"

"What you need to know is that with a snap of my fingers, you will die." Naruto said.

"I will fight you till I die!"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before sighing. "Such a shame…" he said with a shake of his head. "I was hoping you'd like to keep your life but since you want to end it that badly, will end it…"

Naruto picked up his sword and then swung it in a vertical slash, trying to separate A's head from his shoulders. Yugito flashed on the path of the blade, protecting the Raikage. The blade stopped just inches away from her. "Please, Naruto… if you don't really want blood, please spare his life. If you care for my future, please don't do this."

She begged him.

She was begging him to spare a man who was going to hunt him for the rest of his miserable life. Naruto thought for a moment before retreating. "There will be no next time…" the blond said before disappeared in a flash.

Yugito breathed out a sigh of relief before falling on the knees. She was relieved. For a moment, she thought he wouldn't stop. She was happy though, the Raikage was alive. Some men may have died, but the important thing was that their leader was alive.

Before she could even turn to face the Raikage, Yugito found herself surrounded, blades pointed at her. She smiled sadly. She wasn't angry. She was sad. They would point their swords at her when she just saved their leader's life.

"You let him take the Two-tails without fighting. He was not manipulating you, you allowed it freely and then he revived you."

"Confirm this or deny it."

 **Minutes later**

"Killer Bee…" Naruto said to the Jinchuriki of the Hachibi. "From what I have been told, you have a very good bond with your Bijuu and will probably not agree to me taking, it, isn't that so?"

Bee stared at Naruto: without question, Naruto was dangerous. But he didn't want to be separated from the Gyuki. He didn't wish for it. This was his partner and it would continue to be his partner until he breathes for the last time in this life.

'Aren't you going to hear him out, Bee? If not, you are going to have to be careful; this isn't an opponent you want to fight.' The Hachibi said. Naruto not only had the Rinnegan but he was a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi: that was just way too much power for just one person. He knew that he was the second most powerful but still against the Kyubi, he really could not win.

'I know…' Bee said with a nod. "If I say no, what are you going to do, yoh?"

"I will naturally remove the Bijuu inside of you by force…" Naruto explained lightly. "And you really cannot stop me from doing so. It is either you want to do it the easy way or the hard way. I am fine with either way."

'Can we win if we decide to fight?'

'I doubt but you can never know unless you try.'

'Right, there is nothing to lose if we lose, right?'

"I really wish you don't make me go through a pointless exercise, Bee." Naruto said before slamming his hands down the ground. " **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!" In a loud roar, the Gedo Mazo appeared in a puff of smoke.

He then transformed into the Kyubi right there and there. "Must we do the inevitable, or do you want end this quickly?" Naruto asked. "My assurance to you is that you will continue to live, and you will still be able to talk to the Gyuki. The only difference is that it will no longer be within you. That is what I want. I want to remove it. It the Gyuki wants, it can leave some of its chakra with you so that you can still be able to fight beyond normal means. What is your response, Killer Bee?"

 **Later that day**

To think she'd end up being locked up in a cell while the higher ups decide her fate: Yugito could only shake her head with disappointment. She loved her village dearly. But this was a bit too much. It still didn't make her angry or betrayed. She's always known her position in the village. But really, she wasn't going to tell them that she still had some of Matatabi's chakra with her. What difference would it make? She had willingly allowed Naruto to take 'their' Bijuu. She didn't deny it and would not deny it – it was the truth.

She could not say she was still loyal. They didn't believe her. At this point, she was a suspect who had conspired with a known enemy against the village. Matatabi was theirs and she had given it away. They were not happy with that. They wanted their Bijuu. It wasn't her decision to make. Even her action in saving the Raikage's life was being questioned. It would not save her from what she did.

Yugito thought the situation was ridiculous. But Kumogakure has always been a bit power hungry. It attempted to steal the Byakugan once and then went on to threaten war with Konoha when it failed. Power was everything in this land, and she had given it away. She hadn't thought of Kumogakure, she had thought of herself before making an decision.

Couldn't she just be selfish for once?

Yugito looked up when she heard footsteps. She could feel that it was two people walking towards her. She waited patiently and was surprised to see the Raikage and Samui. The latter gave her a small tiny smile – which she returned.

"I have just spoken to Bee…" A said to Yugito in a stern tone. "His Bijuu was also taken away but he said that he still can communicate with it and has some of its chakra…" he paused and asked. "Is it the same with you?"

Yugito nodded quietly. She didn't say anything else: A nod was enough.

A sighed in defeat. "This is really a troublesome situation…" he said. "Bee also said he didn't fight. If you are going to be punished for doing the same, then he too must be punished. I'm not unfair, so you're a free to go."

The Raikage turned away from Yugito. He then stopped. "Thank you for saving my life. Admittedly, I would have died…" he said. "But I imagine if I keep you locked up, he will come and break you out, don't you think so?"

Yugito had to think about it for a moment. He had saved her life and they got along pretty well. "Maybe…"

A shook his head. "Tell me, if you had to fight against him, would you do it?"

"If I was ordered to do it, I would. I am still a kunoichi of the Hidden Cloud." Yugito said.

"But regrettably, no longer a Jinchuriki…" The Yondaime Raikage said. "Although I am freeing you, I don't know if it will be safe for you. You are likely to be hated for giving it away without a fight." After saying that, he walked away.

Samui unlocked the cell and held out her right hand. Yugito took it gently and then got up. "You don't look angry at all…"

"I have no reason to be…" Yugito said with a shake of her head. "I am a bit sad though. My home village did this… perhaps also by the fact that they can't understand the situation."

Samui glanced Yugito. She looked ahead for a moment before speaking. "You mean the fact that you think Naruto has no plans to use the Bijuus power for anything evil?"

Yugito nodded. "That much… but they have never really listened to him. They just think he is a man who is after the powers of the Bijuus."

"I think they will understand soon. Well, at least I think A-sama will.." Samui said. "Bee spoke to him and he understood. I do think if Bee had been killed, you would have also followed. But he is starting to see things clearly now. You all still have connections with your Bijuus and have some of their powers. Surely, this wasn't just a plan to take the power for himself. You could argue that he could have just taken them away and leave you without anything."

Yugito nodded. "But will he see that?" She asked. "He was almost killed and Naruto did say that he really doesn't need the powers of other Bijuus to level this village. He doesn't want that. But will they believe him?"

"I don't think there is a choice…" Samui said. "Not unless Naruto threatens Kumogakure in some way. But I assume he is going to speak with the other Kages about this and they'll decide what to do."

Yugito really hoped that things would become better and that they would understand that Naruto didn't want a war with anyone; he didn't want to turn this world upside down because he had some hidden agenda. He just wants to free the Bijuus. Was it really difficult to understand or believe? did people always think the worst about everything they see?

"But the question won't be that he understands the situation isn't?" Yugito said. "He still asked me if I would fight him… he probably plans to fight Naruto again."

"Kumogakure has always valued strength…" Samui said. "Even if A-sama understands, Naruto won't be safe. Do you allow someone who has the power to threaten any Great Nation to continue living? That is the question they will ask during the summit. Most of the will probably say no… and an action will be taken."

 **Days later**

Was it really something worth celebrating? Kurotsuchi didn't think so. She didn't think the fact that even Kumo had lost its Bijuus was something that she had to celebrate. They were the same, but it was nothing that would make one happy. Perhaps her grandfather was becoming cynical. Perhaps he was losing his touch with old age. Kurotsuchi couldn't tell and she wouldn't ask but she could tell that something was very wrong in this situation.

Well, at least Kumo still had its shinobi. They were alive and well but no longer valuable as Jinchurikis. Was this world really going to enter into a stag were no village was in possession of a Bijuu? For years, the beasts have been used as some sort of power balancers between the Great Nations. But that balance was being broken. No – she shook her head, it was broken.

As far as she was concerned, only Kusagakure and Sunagakure had their Jinchurikis but that didn't matter much. Kusa was weak, it was a small village and their Jinchuriki couldn't be compared to others. But Iwa was still going to try to capture her. It was going to cause problems with other villages. Kumo wouldn't be pleased. Neither would Konoha. Then again, the latter has never been known for using Jinchurikis to complement its power.

Wasn't that just a testament to its power?

Was Naruto happy now that he was closer to his goal? He removed the bigger threats first, and now he had to deal with the weaker villages. It wouldn't be a problem. For some reason, she hoped that he gets to Kusa's Jinchuriki for Iwa. Kurotsuchi didn't want to deal with the trouble that would come after this. Regardless of how you explain it, it was an attack on another village that didn't even threat you. It was going to cause a big issue.

Kurotsuchi looked at her grandfather, he wasn't smiling any more. "This is unexpected…" he suddenly said.

"What is?"

"I thought with Naruto having cut off his arm and taken his Jinchurikis, the Raikage would be willing to discuss measures to stop Naruto…" Onoki said.

The Raikage was weakened now. He was missing an arm and both his Bijuus. Then again, Onoki was old and even in his state; the Raikage would probably still be able to defeat Kurotsuchi. It bothered him greatly. He wouldn't have been displeased if the man had died in his fight with Naruto. This simply meant that Iwa was likely to be below Kumogakure. He didn't like it. Out of the top three, Iwa would be the weakest. It was displeasing.

And in this situation, the Hidden leaf was still sitting pretty at the top. Well, it has also many of its shinobi. The Sannins, it was just Tsunade remaining. The last Uchiha was running rampart somewhere around the Elemental nations and Minato's son was causing this massive imbalance of power.

"He's not?" Kurotsuchi asked.

She was surprised, but not saddened by this revelation. If she was in charge of Iwagakure, her focus would be in trying to fight the man who was attacking the great nations. That was the bigger threat, not Naruto. It was almost amusing that she has changed her thoughts about someone she had looked at with contempt. She was sure she wouldn't smile when seeing him again.

Onoki shook his head. '"It appears not…" he said. "But maybe I am not reading it right. He is calling for a Kage summit in two weeks. We will see what the other Kages are saying about this. It doesn't please me that Suna still has a Bijuu. Kumo even got their shinobi back…"

"Our Jinchuriki were only present when there was a need for their power… basically in war…" Kurotsuchi said in a firm tone. "I don't think it makes any difference if they'd returned to us. They wouldn't have come back to the village, anyway."

"You shouldn't think like that but you do have a point…" Onoki said.

"I'm sure Suna will lose their Bijuu as well." Kurotsuchi said confidently. "My guess is that he started with nations that refused him and could have offered him a challenge in his quest. We can't read his silence as to say he isn't going to go to Suna."

"I doubt it but we will see…" Onoki said. "like Konoha, Suna has a special relationship with him. Some part of me is even thinking that the Hidden Leaf is behind this move…" he shook his head. "I might be getting old for this…"

"Might? You are way too old for this but you are stubborn, you don't want to quit…" Kurotsuchi said with a shake of her head. "I really hope that you are careful grandfather. You don't want to do anything that gets us in trouble. At this case, if Kumo is no longer interested in hunting Naruto and we go on ahead to forcefully take Kusa's Jinchuriki, we become the aggressors and the other villages will be looking at us."

"We can explain the situation…" Onoki said with shrug. "But if Kumo really has no interest, it will become another story. But hopefully, we are still able to get answers on who is attacking us. I want to get to the bottom of this before we deal with Naruto."

"I don't think you'll be able to do that."

Onoki narrowed his eyes, "what is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean Naruto is strong… and if you are going to win against him, he'd have to surrender… if you declare war on him, what makes you think he won't declare war on us? He hasn't touched our village, he has had many chances to kill me, but he hasn't. if he really wanted war with us, he would have started it already. But should we declare war on him, it will become another matter. Because then he would have to fight us to protect himself. Do you not think he would be willing to attack even this village?"

 **Sunagakure**

Arial threats were always a problem for major villages. They didn't always know how to defend against enemies that came through the heavens. Naruto could understand why Akatsuki could successfully destroyed a village by bombarding it with bombs. Someone like Deidara was successful in this path. If Naruto had intentions to attack Suna, he could do so easily. He was even flying over the village, viewing everything with interest. Once he had seen enough, Naruto allowed his bird to disappear in a puff of smoke before falling down.

He landed atop of the Kazekage tower

For a moment, he stood there, waiting. Gaara formed just behind him, looking stoic as always.

Naruto glanced over to the Kazekage for a moment before looking at the peaceful village. He could understand if Gaara was having second thoughts. Iwa was certainly increasing its efforts for cooperation in hunting him down. Naruto didn't put it past Onoki to try to bully other nations into helping him. That old geezer was no longer fit to be a Kage. Naruto would have to eventually end his life.

"I have been waiting for a while for you to finally show up." Gaara said as he walked over to Naruto.

Naruto didn't say anything until the Godaime Kazekage was standing on his right side. "There were things to do and plans to revisit. At some point I was asking myself if this was the right way to go about things."

The Kazekage was honestly surprised to know that even Naruto had questions, doubts. It was amazing, but he didn't show his surprise; he merely nodded in acknowledgement of those words.

"We are living in an unpredictable world. Things don't always go in the direction we want them to go. It is in that moment that we must decide. But doubts are not always bad. They are bad if your conviction is weak. If you are strong, when you think about things, your resolve strengthens."

Gaara wondered, what would other Kages say if they knew he was saying things like this to Naruto? To the person some of them were planning to kill. It was going to be troublesome. He was more or less encouraging the blond to be strong in his conviction. Well, there was no backing down now. If he backed down, it might mean death or just a life on the run. Either way, he had to face the wrath of those who wanted him dead.

It would be pity if Naruto fell. He had to finish what he started. This person who came to him, this person who saved his life could not be known for failure. He had to die with a smile. He had to leave this world knowing that he had managed to achieve his dreams, he had worked hard to make it work.

"There is something that I have also come to realize; you cannot really predict the human emotion. You know, you can't calculate how people will react to your actions."

Gaara looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I read Kumo's message regarding the coming summit."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. "I haven't really went into that…" he said. "What is the Raikage thinking?"

He wondered, was Yugito even alright? If she was okay, Naruto would be happy. He would be relieved. He really hoped that the people who were in charge of Kumo didn't make things difficult for her. Perhaps she would hate him for it. But if she was put in a difficult position, Naruto would burst her out. He would break into Kumogakure and take her away. Amegakure would become her new home.

"It is hard to tell but he doesn't seem like he is planning for your death. He merely called a summit to discuss the attacks and how the others plan to deal with it."

Naruto nodded. "Since you people are going to discuss me, it will be better if I make an appearance. Nothing like a conversation with all the Kages…"

"You want to try to discuss things with them and see how they react to it?"

"Yes…" he said. "It will be good to clear things out. You know, I want to know how I have to live going on forward."

Gaara was silent. He thought about telling Naruto that Konoha had resolved that it would kill him if things went too far. "Konoha has resolved that it would be willing to kill you and has asked us to join on those efforts."

Naruto was silent for a couple of moments before shaking his head. "I can understand that… but it will still depend on what the Kages resolve to do in the Kage summit. If I have to be killed, you all will agree to it. If not, we might work things out."

"I'm sure the Godaime would rather you work things out…" Gaara said. "But so would I…" he said.

"Well, if the Raikage is willing to listen to my message, then there might be a way to talk things out. I was close to killing him…"

That brought, Gaara's silence. "Why?"

"He was attacking me and threatened to hunt me down until I die. I couldn't have that. That kind of action will only lead to chaos around the Elemental Nations unless I am captured. I told him that my intention isn't destruction or anything that threatens them. I just want to free the Bijuus. Their shinobi are alive and I have even permitted them to wield some of their former Bijuus power. Is that what you do when you want to weaken them? I could kill the Raikage at any moment. I showed it to him. I told him destroying Kumo wasn't impossible for me, but because it wasn't my intention, I wasn't doing. Just doing what I said I would do.

"He was insisting on hunting me down. He was being irrational. My actions have already led to some instability but he wanted to tilt things deeper. I could not permit it. I gave him a choice: live your life and stop trying to see me as your enemy when I am not… or face death. He chose to die, and nearly did it. But his former Jinchuriki begged me to stop him and I did so."

"Well, that could understand his slight change in tone…." Gaara. "Does he know that his Jinchuriki are still able to contact their former Bijuus?"

Naruto nodded. "I did this just to assure these people that I have no intentions of using the Bijuus' power for myself." Naruto said. "If given all that I have given, how do you still not believe my intentions, Gaara?"

"I don't think it is a matter of whether you are honest in what you say or not. I think it is a matter of self-pervasion. You are also strong. People always fear what they cannot control. If the Kages cannot control you, then you are a threat that must be removed." Gaara said in a calm tone. "I think that is the major problem here…"

"Do you think that we will be able to do things without them getting out of control?"

"I want to believe so…" Gaara said with a nod of his head. "But if Kumo has indeed changed its view, then there might be a way. I don't want to think of what might happen if things don't go according to plan."

"Many things… death… perhaps a one-sided massacre…" Naruto said in an emotionless tone. "Are you ready? I feel that I have to check on Yugito once I depart from here. It will be cold hearted for me to leave her to fend for herself because of my actions… even after I had told her that I wanted her to be happy."

"Even after all this time, you still can't help it, can you?"

Naruto smiled – it was a bitter smile. "I am no longer as kind as I was, Gaara. I do not blink when taking lives. If things force me to turn the other way, I will be responsible for many deaths." He said with a shake of his head. "If things work out well or not so well, I have made preparations and I will require you to take a role in them."

"What role?"

Naruto smiled. "You'll know…" he said. "Come on, we need to go somewhere away from the village…" he said.

 **Later that day**

"Wow…" Naruto said in a hushed tone, hands in the air. He was under a henge. He quickly undid and smiled. "It's me…"

Kurotsuchi took a swing at him. "That doesn't change anything!"

"Ah come on!" Naruto said, looking frustrated. "I thought we were hitting it off and so I came to visit you tonight. I had the sense that you were a sexually frustrated young woman."

Kurotsuchi glared at him before taking another swing. He caught her on her wrist. And lifted up her arm. When she tried swinging her free hand, he did the same. She tried struggling but his grip was firm. He had more physical power than her. Her glare intensified as she stopped trying to struggle. Her spine reacted with intense emotion when he looked up into her eyes, a sly grin on his lips. He leaned closer. His faces just inches away from hers.

She stared defiantly, not willing to back down.

Naruto looked amused. He leaned over to Kurotsuchi's right ear and blew warm breath. "I'm doing my best not kiss you right now…" he whispered softly.

Kurotsuchi felt his tongue touching the edges of her hear. She shivered slightly. She wasn't going to fold nevertheless. She tried struggling for a grip once more, but still failed.

Naruto let her go while pushing her backwards. She was off balance, falling. He suddenly moved in, wrapped his left hand around her waist and pulled her closer. His hold was tight and her body was pressed against his. She felt hot. Uncomfortable. But most of all, her heart was pounding. She didn't know if it was excitement or just fear of what he might just do to her.

This man, he has been openly flirting, complementing her. And now, he was here. In her room. The night was dark. People were in their beds resting. She was here, wrestling with a known enemy of her beloved village. She felt disgusted, yet, oddly enough, she didn't loath the experience. She did want him. Not for him to touch her, but to talk to him. It was about her village. If she had to talk to him in her bedroom then so be it.

Kurotsuchi shivered once more; his right hand. A gentle touch with warmth on her chin. He was amused. Amused by her fierce look. Perhaps it was almost like she was daring him to do his worst. But she didn't want that, did she?

"My worse? It would be ripping off your clothes and then throwing you into the bed…" Naruto suddenly said as if he could read her thoughts.

Kurotsuchi glanced at the bed. The white sheets were pure. They'd not seen action. This was the closest she has come to a man since she grew boobs. This close proximity… it wasn't so bad. But Naruto was bad. He was a problem for Iwa. Yet, she didn't feel like kicking him in the nuts.

"Can you let me go?" Kurotsuchi asked in a quiet tone. "Please…" she begged, struggling to control herself.

Naruto did as asked and she quickly made the distance before sitting on the edge of the bed. Naruto followed her and laid on the bed; she quickly tried to get up but he caught her, a bit roughly. She fell on his chest. He was smiling at her but no longer touching her. Kurotsuchi quickly got away from him.

"You're not looking at me with the same eyes you used to give me…" Naruto said with a smile.

Kurotsuchi shrugged. "There has been time to reflect on your actions. And think about the long term future."

"I'm listening…"

"Why haven't you killed me? You've had plenty of opportunities to do it but each time, you have left me alive. Why can't you kill me?"

"It's not a matter of whether I can or can't kill…" Naruto said in a measured tone. "Before I answer your question, do you want to end your life, Kurotsuchi?"

"Of course not!" She was quick to say. "Only miserable people want to end their lives. I still have too much to do in this world."

Naruto smiled. "You have your answer…" he said. "I just don't want to. I think you'll make a strong leader, Kurotsuchi. If I fight for the future, I cannot possibly see to end you when you are the future of Iwagakure. My desire isn't chaos. Perhaps I am misunderstood but it isn't like that."

"I don't understand your actions either…" Kurotsuchi said.

She could not understand why someone would want to simply fight for the freedom of the Bijuus. It didn't make sense to her. Who had such feelings? Bijuus were just power sources. They didn't need to be freed. They were just weapons that shinobi could use. It has always been that way.

"But I do understand the danger. Or perhaps I just want to believe you because I know you are powerful. Dealing with you will be difficult, so maybe I am looking for a way to avoid it. I do hope that I am not wrong and you are not planning to use the Bijuus power."

"You do worry about that, huh?"

"Of course I do…" Kurotsuchi said firmly. "I don't care about other villages but my main interest is Iwagakure. I only want my village to prosper, and I will do everything possible to make it prosper. If anyone threatens it, I will fight for it…"

"Well, everyone is always concerned about what they love…" Naruto said calmly. "But Kurotsuchi, if Iwa's prosperity depends on invading other lands, you will pay for it. You see, I have allied myself with the small nations and have offered them my protection. If for someone reason you think of invading them, I will crush you."

Cold words.

Kurotsuchi had to glance over her shoulder to see if she was talking to the same person. He'd never used such a tone when talking to her. It was a bit disturbing. For a moment, she just thought of stabbing him there where he laid. She could claim a huge victory.

To be quite honest, Kurotsuchi wouldn't be against invading another nation. So long as it made sure that Iwa prospered, she was willing to anything.

"You sound serious."

"I am…" Naruto said. "I haven't been killing anyone in this village… but it doesn't mean I am afraid of death. I have grabbed people by their throats, strangled them to death without even flinching as I watched their lives disappear. In Kumo, I cut down some enemies. If you do anything wrong, I will not show you mercy. You become disqualified as a leader."

Kurotsuchi snorted. "You want to play judge?"

"Maybe but if any nation that is my ally calls me to say they are being attacked, I will defend them. If they haven't done anything wrong, I will wipe out those who dare attack them. You are okay with invading other nations, but you'd curse and swear vengeance if someone else decided to invade your village, no?"

"That is without question."

"So why should those who are being invaded have same thoughts? Are you going to play the 'strong' card? If you are going to play that card, you smell hypocrisy. If you do something that is so wrong purposefully, I will decimate you."

Right now, this talk was dangerous. Kurotsuchi wanted nothing more than to kill Naruto right now. Just so she could avoid a situation where they could become real enemies. Everything was possible in this world. Tomorrow, she could decide to invade another nation.

"Don't give me that look…" Naruto said. "I have no ill intentions towards Iwa or you…"

"That doesn't fill me with comfort…" Kurotsuchi said.

"What would fill you with comfort?"

"Your death…"

Naruto shook his head. "Not now at least…" he said. "Tell you what, marry me to insure that I don't attack you… or I could strip now and we try for a baby… if I knock you up, you have something to protect yourself with…"

Kurotsuchi shifted away from Naruto. "Not going to happen…"

Naruto turned around and faced the woman. "Are you sure? I am lying in your bed, a most wanted man by your village and you haven't thought of kicking me out…"

"That is because I wanted to clear some things with you."

"If I pulled you to this bed right now, strip you naked, and look for all sensitive spots with my hands, you wouldn't feel the urge for me to put it inside of you?"

Kurotsuchi watched his hands, moving around the sheets as if he was looking for something. She wrapped her hands around herself, trying to block him. "You need to leave…"

"Okay… I think we have talked enough for today… but we shall speak again…" Naruto said getting up. He didn't leave… he walked over to Kurotsuchi – who backed away until she reached a wall. He smiled and put his hand on her chin once more. He leaned in and then their lips touched.

He then kissed her.

Kurotsuchi's body froze. A god damn enemy of Iwa was kissing her. This was treacherous! And yet, her eyes closed for a moment as she returned the kiss.

The second she did so, Naruto pulled away.

He was smiling. "I think we might just become lovers… and you get to keep me, my power to yourself…" he then paused. "Oh, I have already offered myself to someone else… they might take it… and they gain a powerful ally."

He was gone after those words.

Had she just kissed him?

Did she just betray her village?

Kurotsuchi felt disgusted. Angry that she had liked it.


	19. Chapter 19

Once more, Karin felt that immense power heading towards their way. Her body froze. It should be illegal for someone to possess as much chakra as this person. He just had too much chakra just for one person and you didn't even account for the Bijuu that was inside of him. The combination was very wrong and even Sasuke couldn't be compared to what that person has. She calmed herself and tried not to focus on the overwhelming power. When she stopped, everyone stopped and turned towards her.

"Is there something wrong?" Suigetsu asked, seeing the Uzumaki's body language.

Karin faced Sasuke and spoke. "Your friend is coming our way," she said to him.

Sasuke seemed to think for a moment before uttering something. He grunted and spoke to his team. "Let us stop here," he said.

The only other person Karin could call his friend was Naruto. He had been searching for the blond but Naruto was never at one place. He was always moving around the Elemental Nations. He he had been thinking of just giving up on the search and wait for the blond to come to him because he was going to end up going around in circles. He was prepared for anything to occur now, but given their last conversation, he was at least hoping that there wouldn't be sparks flying because of what the blond has been doing. At this stage, Sasuke really didn't care for what Naruto was doing.

A friend, huh? Yes, they had been friends. Naruto had been his one and only friend, his rival. Perhaps a side of him was a little jealous now with how the blond had become powerful. Naruto was going around the Elemental Nations doing whatever he wanted and they couldn't touch him. He had certainly become powerful. But this had been his friend. He wasn't going to allow the rivalry he once shared with the blond turn him into something else.

"Sasuke, is it really safe for us to be associated with someone like him?" Suigetsu asked. There was no need to panic over anything but he could not deny that the heat around Naruto was too much. If people knew that they were associated, they would also turn on them. It was an unwanted attention at this point since they haven't even done anything.

"It doesn't matter what the nations think," Sasuke said with indifference. "But we don't want to attract much attention to ourselves at this point. We have a mission that we must do and it won't go well if we are not able to move around smoothly with people looking for us."

"That is why I am asking," Suigetsu said.

"He is here," Karin said as she felt Naruto's presence. A second later, Naruto landed behind the ground and then walked towards Karin. He stopped just in front of her and smiled. "What?"

Naruto had never really thought about people in the Uzumaki clan. But he had seen Uzushiogakure, he had seen his ancestral home and what was done to it. Karin was probably the last remaining full blooded Uzumaki in this world. It was sad, wasn't it? An entire clan decimated and now he was the only one left along with this girl. A very good sensor. And special chakra. Then again, it does appear that special chakra was a trait of the Uzumaki clan.

Growing up, he hadn't known he was from a clan. He hadn't even known that the Uzumaki were a clan. Perhaps if he had known about everything, he wouldn't have been so miserable. But he would have still been a lonely person. "I'm just thinking that we are the only ones who have Uzumaki blood left in this shinobi world. Perhaps there is no pride in that because you never knew about anything, isn't it?"

Karin glanced at Sasuke for a moment. She was really nervous but Naruto wasn't giving her murderous intentions. She could tell that his smile was real – he meant what he was saying. "I guess…" she said in response.

"I am not giving her to you," Sasuke said to Naruto in a firm tone.

"I wouldn't even leave if you tried to kick me out of this team," Karin said to Sasuke in a firm tone. She was going to be with him forever. There was nothing he could do that would get her to dislike him. When Suigetsu tried to say something, Karin sent him a harsh glare.

Naruto turned towards Sasuke with a smile. "If I was going after her, it would certainly create similar dynamics to when we were a team. But the only difference here now is that you really want to keep this one." He said. "We do have something similar once more. Both our clans are nearly extinct."

"I will revive mine," Sasuke said in a firm tone. It had been his dream and he would do so. "But we do need to talk," he said.

Naruto nodded his head. "Well, that is why I came here. I heard that you were looking for me when I visited someone in Konoha and I heard that you were by the Emperor's Palace. I had been a little too busy to come see you. But now I do have the time to see you," he said.

Sasuke stared at Naruto with his Sharingan activated, he didn't want to miss anything. "You have been busy, that is for sure," he said without revealing his thoughts. "What are you really after, Naruto? I don't think that the person I once knew has suddenly become an evil person corrupted by power and seeks nothing but ruin. There has to be something, a reason behind your actions."

"I have already explained myself to the Kages, they just don't want to believe me," Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. He certainly wasn't going to explain himself to Sasuke. There was no need to do so and if the Uchiha wanted to stand in the way of his dream, he too would be crushed. Naruto wasn't going to allow anyone to get in the way of his dream. No one.

Sasuke stared for a moment before nodding his head. "I believe you have done so. You have always been a bit too nice. Perhaps it is why Konoha hasn't even been actively trying to hunt you down."

"I haven't done anything against the Leaf," Naruto said.

"And I hope it stays that way."

Naruto's eyes sharpened. He could sense a threat from the Uchiha. There was the danger there. "Or what?" He asked calmly. Did Sasuke think that he could end him? Was he confident that his Sharingan gave him enough power to topple Uzumaki Naruto? Naruto wouldn't say it was ridiculous. The ridiculous thing would be for him to think that no one could touch him because of the Rinnegan.

"I will stop you," Sasuke said calmly.

Naruto looked amused for a moment before laughing. "This is truly amusing," he said with a smile. "Not long ago, I was in the Hidden Leaf, promising to become its Kage and you were running after Orochimaru, cursing and swearing to Kill Itachi. I am no longer in Konoha and have turned my back on it. You are here, telling me that you will protect Konoha from me. This is an interesting turn of events."

"It is, which does make me want to question what has happened to you," Sasuke asked. "I really want to know what has happened to you. You have grown, but you don't feel very different from your previous left…"

"I'm not wearing a stupid foxy grin anymore and I have become the most wanted in the Elemental Nations. That is what has changed. I have my dreams and hopes, that is why I do what I do," Naruto said lightly. "What has happened to you that your eyes no longer shine with deep hatred?"

"I learned things that shocked my beliefs and understanding of how things work. I said I would protect the Leaf from you but it can happen that I might turn against it myself in the near future. It might not happen. I am merely looking for answers and trying to understand this world better," Sasuke said. "What do you want to do, Naruto?"

"To change the world, Sasuke," Naruto said calmly. "I want to change how shinobi do things and how the Hidden Villages handle things. This world is corrupt and flawed. There are many things that go wrong. Perhaps I can use my own clan as an example and you also can use your clan as an example."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "So you do know about what happened to my clan," he said.

Naruto just waved his right hand without confirming or denying it. "My actions have so been just a start of things. I want to change things, and I truly hope that you don't get in the way."

Sasuke shook his head. "It will depend on you," he said. "If you do something that I don't agree with, my team will join the hunt. If not, we won't have anything against you. I don't understand anything about the Jinchurikis but I understand that the Bijuus have been a source of problems for many years. This is why I don't have a problem with you removing them from the Hidden Villages. But tell me, what will you do if they try to hunt them again?"

Naruto merely smiled and didn't say anything to respond to Sasuke's question. "It does appear that we at least have something in common," he said.

"But am not working with you," Sasuke said firmly. "You can help me Intel though…"

"That can be arranged easily enough," Naruto said calmly. "Anything else you want from me?"

"What do you know about the person responsible for the attack at Konoha and other Great Nations?"

Thinking of the disturbance, Naruto frowned deeply. That was one mystery that he had yet to solve but he needed to do something about it. That person was going to ruin everything that he does and it wouldn't work well for him. He really did need to find out more about that person before facing him to remove him from the face of this world. "Nothing much, but it does appear that you have met him."

Sasuke nodded, "Yes," he said. "I will be going after him. I am going to check around Orochimaru's hideouts to see if he knew something about him. If I find him, I will kill him. I hope you will do the same," Sasuke said.

Naruto nodded. "Yes," he said. "I want stability in the near future and I won't have the shinobi villages to be fighting pointless battles. But this person is going to ruin things. The attacks make the Hidden Villages panic and it creates unnecessary tensions. I really can't do anything with this instability."

"I don't think you need to blame the attacks on the instability," Sasuke said with a stare. "You have done that all by yourself. If you hadn't been doing this, there wouldn't be this thing, and you wouldn't be blamed for it."

Naruto shrugged. "I'm not blaming anyone for my own actions. There is going to be a Kage Summit and I'm going to solve things during the Summit. I think that will be were the Kages decide my fate. It would be pleasant if that person is handled before the Summit. And I hope no more attacks will take place."

"It is pointless to hope," Sasuke said. "If the attacks don't continue, there will be something bigger occurring soon. I just know it…"

"That is a possibility," Naruto said with a nod. "Well, this was a good talk," he said before turning away from Sasuke and turned to Karin. "I hope you live a long life worthy of Uzumaki. Have a kid to make sure our blood doesn't die out…"

"And you are not going to do so?"

Naruto smiled. "I will do my part." He said. "If the last Uzumaki dies because of you, consider yourself dead," Naruto said to Sasuke and then vanished into thin air.

 **Iwagakure**

There was no question that her grandfather was calling her to complain or say something about Naruto. At this point, it was safe to say that Onoki was obsessed with the Uzumaki. Naruto was powerful, ridiculously powerful that it unnerved her to think that there was no one in this world who has seemed to be close to fight him on equal footing. She was concerned about this but there was really nothing she could do. Obsessing over it wasn't going to solve anything. Her grandfather was insisting on destroying Naruto. The blond didn't seem to have those intentions with him. If he truly wanted destruction, he could have done so long before.

But he has not done anything, and she was truly beginning to believe that he didn't have any evil intentions. But you could not deny that his power disrupted the balance of power. It was especially a problem now since Bijuus didn't play a role anymore. You could not use them in battle; you could not count on them for anything because Naruto had removed them from the picture. They had to fight on their own, without Jinchurikis. Perhaps she could have an issue with the fact that Kumo's former Jinchuriki are still within the village and are rumored to still have some power of the Bijuus and Iwa didn't have that.

Naruto didn't return their Jinchurikis. Then again, it was not easy to say that those two wouldn't be happy to return knowing that they would be discarded because they no longer had the power they once wielded. Still, Kurotsuchi thought of speaking to Naruto about it but after what happened last time he was in her presence, she didn't want to see him. She didn't trust herself. She didn't know if she could behave in front of him. These emotions within her were troubling and she wanted to bury them before they become a problem for her.

When Kurotsuchi stepped into the office, she found her grandfather in conversation with three Jonins. She tried not to listen to what was happening and decided to turn towards her raging thoughts about Naruto and what he did to her. That was seduction, wasn't it? He was most definitely trying to seduce her. She would not fall for it. She loved her village and would not fall for the enemy. Not when she was still sane.

Onoki banged his desk forcefully to get Kurotsuchi's attention. The granddaughter of his turned towards him to look at him with a raise eye brow. "You'll hurt yourself if you do something like that," she said. "You know your body is a bit fragile now," she added smiling.

Onoki frowned. He most definitely wasn't in the position to fight tough battles with his body. If he was getting in a fight against someone like Naruto, he would not last long. This was why he was trying to get allies to fight with him. "Don't remind me," Onoki said bitterly.

"Now, that is surprising," Kurotsuchi said. "You usually don't like admitting things like that."

Onoki shrugged. "I am old; even if I try to ignore it, it doesn't change anything. The truth is that I have stayed in this position for far too long. I can't fight any battle and hope to come out of it alive. At this stage, if I go anywhere near Naruto, I will most definitely die. You cannot underestimate his power. Maybe I did that some time ago, but now it has become clear that he isn't someone who can be handled easily."

Kurotsuchi frowned. Despite everything and maybe she did disagree with her grandfather on this subject but she didn't want him to die. He was her grandfather and she loved him dearly. She didn't want to lose him in any battle. "If you know that you won't survive, why do you persist with hunting down Naruto?" They could try to hold a conversation with Naruto to discuss a way forward. Naruto seemed like the kind of person who could listen and since he has said that he doesn't want trouble, he would surely give them an ear.

But her grandfather wasn't going to do anything like that, was he? He would rather have Naruto talk while he was bound and unable to do anything. There didn't seem to be any turning point for him. It was likely that he would not quit until he either died or Naruto was dead.

"I am fighting to Iwa's safety. I don't have a problem if I die trying to protect this village's future." Onoki said firmly. The Sandaime Raikage died protecting his shinobi. He was the ultimate shinobi with the ultimate defense. But he had sacrificed himself to allow his shinobi to live to see another day.

Kurotsuchi wanted to remind her grandfather that there was no one who was actually threatening this village's safety. Naruto was a threat, yes. But that was just because of his power and his latest actions but he hasn't done anything to actually threaten Iwa's existence. He has had the chances, but hasn't done anything. Kurotsuchi shook her head; now she was becoming his advocate. That cursed bastard was playing tricks with her. She was going to hold him and brutalize him for making her go through such things.

"Are you sure you will die protecting this village, grandfather?" Kurotsuchi asked in a calm tone. "If you die with Naruto still alive, it will do nothing to save this village. But we would have lost you."

"If I die, the shinobi will have more reasons to fight," Onoki said firmly. At this point, he didn't care much for his life. He had lived long enough anyway. It was Bijuus today, then about tomorrow? If Naruto was allowed to do as he pleases, there was no telling what he was going to do tomorrow. Someone who was this powerful could not be allowed to continue living.

"That is just one possibility," Kurotsuchi said. "They will indeed hate Naruto. The village will be filled with people who want to do nothing more than butcher him but it still holds back the village from moving forward. If we are going to focus all our assets in just killing one person, we are in danger of being left behind. There is also the chance that your death could break the morale of our shinobi."

Onoki could not deny that. "You are thinking clearly now," he said to his granddaughter. "You must always think about all possibilities, Kurotsuchi. You need to think about everything and how to deal with things that could happen. You must always be ready for anything. As a leader, you must never waver; you must always step up when your shinobi needs you. Importantly, don't let anything stop you from doing what is right. Above all things, your objective must be Iwagakure."

That sounded like a goodbye message from the old man. Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes. "Are those your last words?" she asked without emotion.

Onoki shook his head. "No," he said. "We still have a Kage summit to prepare. You are coming with me and you'll see how things are handled. It is then with the other Kages that we will decide on what must be done. We are not exactly winning on our own," he finished with a small frown on his lips.

"Well, the other villages will also have their thoughts. Hopefully there will be a good outcome," Kurotsuchi said. She was quite confident that the outcome she had in her mind was most definitely not the same as her grandfather. But would she say that to him? Of course not.

"I am hoping for that as well…" Onoki said before falling silent. He broke it, speaking about something else. "We failed to get the Seven-tails Jinchuriki. It seems that Naruto got there before us. This was unexpected but we do have one less problem to deal with. It does appear that none of the hidden villages are in possession of Bijuus."

Kurotsuchi would not show her relief that Naruto had gotten there before Iwagakure shinobi. She would not. She hadn't been comfortable with the idea because she knew it would put them on the radar of other villages because they would be the only other village with a Jinchuriki. In normal circumstances, the idea would have been great in increasing Iwa's strength, but in this situation, it would have attracted bad company. There was still a Naruto appearance that they would have to deal with. He would have surely come to this village to fetch the Bijuu.

"At least we won't have other villages questioning us," Kurotsuchi said carefully. "Were those men reporting that information to you?"

Onoki shook his head. "No; I was sending them out on a mission." He said.

"What mission?" Kurotsuchi asked with interest.

"It has come to my attention that Naruto is building something in the Wave Country. We are going to destroy this and we will see just how far he is willing to do. I have sent 1000 shinobi for this mission. The business isn't even protected by shinobi, so we can deal with it."

Kurotsuchi couldn't hide her deep frown this time around. She was at least glad that she wasn't going. "You do realize that if Naruto learns of this, he will do something about it," she said in a stern tone. This was war with the blond and he was going to react. She feared that his reaction would not be good. Perhaps things would have been simpler if she had been the one to lead those men to battlefield. Perhaps they would be spared. At this stage, she didn't know what was going to happen but she was afraid.

"He moves around the Elemental Nations a lot," Onoki said. "The movements will also be in secret. They will move in separate groups until they get closer. This makes it easy for them to move without being detected. Naruto has put someone in charge, I assume that person is the one who he thinks will protect his business."

"Who even told you about this?" Kurotsuchi asked carefully. "I was sure that what is happening in the Wave has nothing to do with Naruto."

"I have my sources," Onoki said with a wave of his right hand. "The Daimyo of the Water country was even thrilled about this plan since the Wave's rise threatens the development of his country. If we manage to hit where it hurts, it forces him to move and the other villages will be forced to join in even if they don't want to do anything."

Onoki was going to do everything in his power to ensure that all the villages join the attack on Naruto. Even if he had to go as far as to manipulating and threatening people to get his way, Onoki would do it. At the end of the day, they would realize that he was right.

"I hope nothing bad happens," Kurotsuchi said with a slight shake of her head. "If something bad happens, it is on your head grandfather. We shouldn't even be doing something like this before the summit. It is just going to confuse things."

"There is no need for concern, I have already calculated things," Onoki said calmly. "After the summit, we have to be careful. If we manage to handle Naruto, we have to be on our toes because there will be a race to gather the Bijuus once more. But I won't be in charge when this happens. After Naruto, you will succeed me and it will be your duty to restore us."

Kurotsuchi smiled at this. Not at the thought of going on a hunt of Bijuus but that she was going to replace her grandfather. She did wonder though, would they even be able to handle Naruto? What if the other Kages decide against fighting Naruto and decide to speak with him instead to solve their issue?

 **A Day Later, Sunagakure**

How were things now that he was no longer a Jinchuriki? Gaara couldn't tell the difference. The people in this village already knew that he was no longer carrying Shukaku inside of him but it hasn't change anything about him. He was still the same Subaku no Gaara. Perhaps a worrying factor that made things difficult was the tense atmosphere within the Elemental Nations. Things were certainly not in running in a smooth way. It felt like something was going to happen any moment. You couldn't even afford to sleep for too long because something might happen while you are busy drooling. For a Kage, it would be embarrassing.

There was a Kage summit coming and it brought some comfort. It did make you feel that things could become better, but the truth was worse than this – nothing was going to get better. If fact, the Kage summit was just going to light up the fire that has been threatening to burn. Gaara was certain that if the Kages decide that Naruto shouldn't be allowed to live, there was just going to be complete utter chaos. There was no telling what the blond would do. He doubted Naruto would simply lie back and allow himself to be killed.

There was the chance that if he dies, villages like Kumo and Iwagakure would reignite the Bijuu wars. All nations would get involved. Even Konoha would be forced to get into the bidding wars because if they just allow other villages to take away the Bijuus, it would make things dangerous for them. Certainly, the balance of power would change and whichever village has the most Bijuus would become the strongest. But at what cost? Smaller villages would also try to get involved and if they managed to succeed, they would only be inviting the great nations into their borders.

The future truly didn't look pleasant. Because he trusted Naruto, he thought that the future was safe with the blond alive and well, but without Naruto, the villages would try to go bidding for power. Because the blond was alive and well, things were slow, but still tense. It was still better than the alternative nonetheless.

"You're going to surely grow old soon, Gaara," Temari said to her brother.

Gaara looked up to his sister for a moment before shaking his head. He did spend much of his time thinking these days. Perhaps it was because his thoughts were not free of Shukaku. Either way, it couldn't be helped. "There is just too much to think about," he said. "If Naruto goes away, many people will die."

"Battles for the Bijuus, huh?" Temari absorbed the thought for a moment. "It will be war, people will die, villages will fight, but the real war will begin once all Bijuus have been captured. Those who have gathered the most powerful will be trying to flex their muscles." She said with a deep frown. Nothing was getting simple. The future truly looked bleak and there was no avoiding it.

Gaara nodded. "Without Naruto being alive, things turn south quickly," he said. "He is more or less the force that keeps villages from doing anything. In the meantime, he keeps the smaller villages busy with the business he is providing them. But if he dies, the business will most likely die with him. Everything with his connection will be destroyed."

"We wouldn't be here if he hadn't decided he needed to free the Bijuus," Temari said.

"Admittedly, that is indeed true. Naruto is the architect of this tension. If he dies and shinobi villages start fighting for the Bijuus, it will be his only legacy. It will be something he started," Gaara said. There was just no putting that nicely because it was the truth. Naruto was the one who started all this.

"I hope he doesn't die and leave us with the chaos," Temari said in a firm tone. "But staying alive is going to be difficult, isn't it? Even Konoha has resolved to kill him if there is a need to go that far. If the other villages join in, we also join it. It is just one thing after the other."

"I don't think he plans to die," Gaara said. "Surely he knows of what would happen. So far, nobody knows where he has hidden the Jinchurikis and I am sure he has made certain measures to stop people from taking them. Even with Shukaku, there is no one who can take it. Maybe he has done the same with other Bijuus, but it isn't going to stop villages from fighting. I think-" there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he said.

Baki stepped into the office. "Excuse me," he started calmly. "We have a situation," he said.

Gaara's eyes sharpened feeling the that man's tone was deadly serious. "What situation, Baki?"

"We have received report of a handful of shinobi from Iwagakure marching towards the Wave. We can conclude that they are probably going to do something to there," he said.

Gaara frowned. This was bad. Really bad. The trading company that Naruto has started was good news for Sunagakure, and Konoha. Even Tsunade wasn't denying this fact but if it is destroyed, it is just going to make things troublesome for them once more. This was a chance for them to get quality goods quickly and in an affordable price while also exporting some of their goods to other lands.

"Should we do something about this, Gaara?" Temari asked in a calm tone. "We were already hopeful about the future because of it. If things get destroyed, we will have to get back on the drawing board again."

"It won't be just us who will be displeased with this attack, every other smaller village that is part of the alliance will have a problem but unfortunately, Iwagakure is too big for any of them to do anything against it. If they try to fight it, they will get destroyed," Gaara said calmly. "We are not the strongest but we simply cannot allow this to happen. No village will dare attack is in our village. We always hold the advantage."

"Our shinobi won't arrive in time," Baki said. "I don't even know if Konoha has received the message. I received this through the Emperor's Palace as part of the trading alliance."

"Send a message to Konoha, either way," Gaara said. "We will send our shinobi as well. We cannot allow Iwagakure to do as they please. You will lead them, Baki."

"Hai," Baki said and left to prepare for his duties.

"Well, things are escalating quickly," Temari said. "But we know that if Konoha is aware something is going to happen, it will likely do something about it. The Wave has also depended on its security from the Hidden Leaf. They simply won't let there be destruction without trying to do something."

Gaara nodded, "But it also paints a bad picture on Naruto. He promised to protect all other nations from threats… if he fails to do something, there will be a problem. On the other hand, we have also promised aid to other nations. If we fold our hands, we will not be fulfilling our promise."

"That is why you are sending Baki even though Naruto is likely to do something," Temari said.

"Yes," Gaara said. "If the Intel came from the emperor's palace, then Naruto most likely already knows about it. I fear this will only make Iwagakure more determined to fight him. But you still can't blame him for this one. This attack from Iwagakure is just unwarranted and a desperate cry for attention. I will make sure to bring it up during the Kage Summit."

 **Wave Country**

Guren never thought that she would feel so relieved seeing Naruto before her. The situation was troubling and she was certain that if Naruto hadn't come, all would have been lost. There were enemies heading into the country. They would enter through the bridge that Naruto had helped rebuild and it was named after him. She didn't have the forces to do anything. The emperor's palace could only supply her with the briefing, but not with the shinobi to handle this troubling situation. Alone, she could not fight against 1000 thousand shinobi. They would defeat her and destroy everything. Yukimaru's very life would have been in danger.

"I am truly glad you made it," Guren said to Naruto, sounding very relieved. "You don't look generally bothered by this. You do know that if they manage to arrive here, they would have made all our efforts naught. After having spent so much energy building, I don't think we would have been able to rebuild."

"I know that," Naruto said calmly. "While this is unexpected, I had thought putting you here would simplify things. But apparently not, and it is very unfortunate that Iwagakure would do something like this."

Guren nodded. "How did they know about this though?" She asked. "You had done everything to ensure that I appear as the one in charge of everything here. And even when you came here, you didn't show yourself to people."

"You can't always predict everything and there does appear to be other forces that are working in the shadows," Naruto said calmly. "Either way, we must deal with this situation." He shook his head. "I will wipe them out; you will stand guard by the bridge to ensure that no one slips through."

"You'll be fine fighting them alone?"

Naruto nodded. "You need not be concerned about," he said and turned away from the woman. "I will return shortly and we will discuss things." He said before disappearing from the view.

A minute later

Naruto appeared in front of the shinobi from Iwagakure with an indifferent look on his face. He was trying not to show anger, but he wasn't very pleased with this development. Onoki was honestly trying to tempt him into seeking the ruin of the Hidden Stone. At this point, he was going to kill the Tsuchikage. Onoki was now a dangerous existence that threatened everything. Naruto couldn't really tolerate someone who was willing to do something like this simply because he had a problem with him. Now was truly the time to make Kurotsuchi Tsuchikage. At least with that woman, he could have some influence. He would not take any action against Onoki now. The Kage summit was coming up; he would deal with it then.

It was a bit surprising that even though Konoha was ready to kill him, the village was sending its shinobi to the Wave for help. Then again, their future economic benefits were at risk with Iwagakure threatening to destroy them. No doubt these people were going to plunder the Wave and leave it as nothing more than a memory. Perhaps just like Uzushiogakure – disgusting pieces of humans. He had resolved for this and it was now time to act upon it.

Naruto held out both his hands before clapping them once. Dark thunder clouds began to gather above the heavens. He turned around to face the Iwa shinobi. "Those of you who wish to continue living, you are free to escape. I will not pursue you. But if you remain, you will all die here."

"We have orders from the Tsuchikage and we will not run!"

"Is that your final response?" Naruto asked calmly.

The answer came by the ground shaking slightly before walls burst from it and moved closer slamming into him. The mud walls were covered with explosive tags and when they slammed into him, they exploded in a powerful blast that rocked through the area, lifting debris into the air. When the explosion cleared, Naruto was still standing in the same position, a slight frown on his lips.

"You are not even opponents worthy of fighting," he stated calmly while doing hands seals. "Blind judgment," a bright light hit the area, blinding everyone caught within it. The light lasted for a couple of seconds but when it finally disappeared, the army that stood at one thousand shinobi now stood at around seven hundred. The others had disappeared along with the light.

"Hey, what just happened?!"

"What the hell was that jutsu?!"

"Lightning," a sensor responded fearfully.

'Still not enough,' Naruto said calmly. 'Kurama, your chakra. I don't have time to waste on this people. We will destroy everything at once.'

'You just tested your jutsu on those people,' Kurama said to Naruto. 'You never planned on fighting them in the first place.'

Naruto didn't respond to this but just summoned the Bijuus power as he turned into the nine tailed beast. He didn't mind the jutsus that were flying towards him. It was nothing more than nuisance. He started charging a tailed beast bomb, intent on destroying everything at once.

 **Great Naruto Bridge**

"What the hell were you doing?" Guren demanded as Naruto walked through the bridge, hands inside his pockets with an unreadable look on his face. It had taken just a couple of minutes for him to deal with an army of one thousand shinobi. This was ridiculous but she had felt a rather loud explosion that shook the waters below her. He was indeed a Jinchuriki.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't do things simply. Besides, if I had gotten down, I would have returned smelling like blood. I would rather not have that," he said calmly. "It is such a burden committing a massacre," he added in subdued tone, while staring down at the water.

"You killed them all?"

"Most of them, yes," Naruto said quietly. "Those who survived were left to live and tell the story. If possible, I would rather avoid such events like this. If Onoki knows this is going to happen he is going to desist with his actions. If I had left them alone, he would have just seen me as weak and send them back again. This way, he will know that I am serious."

"But this does create a problem for us," Guren said. "It means that we cannot expand in the Earth country with things like this. We can now expect some form of attacks from Iwa. If they won't send an army, they will send someone to sabotage things from the inside. Or perhaps someone to assassinate me."

"This is why I made you leader. If you are here, you can handle such attacks," Naruto said. "I will deal with other threats. Our allies should be informed of what has happened. We can expect Onoki to turn towards other villages in his adventure to topple me. I would have preferred if it my name was out of the trading company, but there is no helping thing now."

He would have to live with the current situation. The good thing was that the Fire country and the Wind were on board. It was good that he had managed to convince the Feudal Lords about this. He had also talked with the Lord of the Earth country. He wondered how the man would deal with Onoki after this. If he stopped and did not go to the Earth with his business, it would be the country suffering. While other countries are progressing and modernizing, the Earth would be left behind. Surely the man would not want that, even with his reputation.

"Can we at least hope that they won't do anything ridiculous from now on?" Guren asked. "We have started receiving the parts of the trains and are building them. We want to start putting them on tracks so that they can start moving and transporting people around. But if Iwa is going to be a problem to this, we may as well hold off…"

Naruto shook his head. Just because Onoki was threatening his things didn't mean that he would stop. "We won't stop. Not now. I want the first trains to be moving around the Fire country the time the Kages return for the summit. Both Suna and Konoha will be with us in this regard. But you need to make provisions to at least have shinobi on the trains for protection."

"I don't have the resources, you know," Guren said.

"You have allies," Naruto said. "You can ask the villages within the trading agreement to help with shinobi. Of course, you'll pay them. it will be a mission, so they won't refuse to take it. We will make use of all our allies' shinobi in this way. As long as they are paid for their services, there shouldn't be problem and it gives them more reasons to protect this business. I'll have someone from the Emperor's Palace write letters to the leaders about this."

"That will be of some help," Guren said.

Naruto was silent for a couple of moments before looking away from the water. He faced Guren before speaking. "We will probably talk after the Kage Summit unless something happens. I hope you will hold on for now. I have some things to do."

"Like what?" Guren asked curiously.

"I am going to meet my father, and remove the Kyubi from me. I probably won't be a Jinchuriki anymore by the time the Kages meet." Naruto said lightly. Perhaps Onoki would be pointing at him for using the Kyubi's power to destroy his forces. But Naruto didn't really care about. That was his last action as a Jinchuriki. He was allowed to do whatever he pleased. Besides, Onoki had no right to complain about anything.

"So, you really were serious about this," Guren shook her head. "But it will weaken you and you'll end up being an easy target. Certainly, if they find out you are no longer a Jinchuriki; they will increase their efforts to kill you. I wouldn't be surprised if Iwagakure takes bolder steps."

"It's not going to change anything," Naruto said calmly. "You shouldn't concern yourself with this. I will handle my problems. You just focus on the business," he before turning away from Kurotsuchi.

 **Konohagakure**

Naruto was standing in front of Minato's gravesite; he had come here to defile the corpse of the Yondaime Hokage. Naruto had found himself staring at the site; so many people lose their lives in the shinobi world. He had just destroyed hundreds of them moments ago. There was going to be nothing but hatred born of those actions. It was something that his sensei had preached about, something he had thought of ending – the cycle of hatred. Naruto was willing to bear the weight of this world. If it would bring about peace, there was nothing he would not do. Iwagakure could hate him, they could resent his existence, but it wouldn't kill him, he would live with it and perhaps when he does become a 'sacrifice' the hatred will die with him.

Was he really going to follow the same path as his father? Minato had sacrificed himself for the sake of the Hidden Leaf, and his mother had followed. Naruto smiled sadly at the thought. What a miserable end to things. But at least even if he does sacrifice himself, he could still continue to live normally. Well, that is if the diplomatic methods work. If they don't work out and this world continues to deny him his dream, he would enslave it; he would put on the mask of the devil and wreak havoc across all lands, friends or foes. He would be betraying many people, the bonds he has formed but he would still need to do it.

It would be sad, but there was no avoiding it.

Naruto moved away from the stone of the Yondaime and walked towards Jiraiya's stone; what a colorful man the Toad Sage had been. The man had been his family, his friend, his godfather. But all that was now gone. He was dead. Nagato had killed him. He had denied to Kurama that his reasons for rushing towards Amegakure were because Nagato still needed to be killed. It had been a lie; he had been influenced by his anger, his love for the man who taught him ninjutsu, his beloved master. The pain of losing someone you love was truly heartbreaking.

Naruto could understand Nagato's pain. He could understand things now. He sat down with his legs folded before summoning a bottle of sake. This was about the right moment to show his emotions, the right moment to show his sadness. The tears he had refused to shed when he leaned that his beloved sensei had been killed. Perhaps he should have brought one of those books. His sensei would have surely loved to read it.

After a couple of minutes passed by, Naruto glanced over at his shoulder sensing Tsunade moving along the way. He could feel Anbu watching over from the shadows. He smiled sadly; it was the end of the road – he had been discovered. His henge had been perfect. Perhaps when Tsunade was told someone was sitting here, she decided that it had to be him.

"Are you going to arrest me now, ba-chan?" Naruto asked as Tsunade stopped behind him. He didn't look at her, but stared at the grave of his sensei.

Tsunade didn't mistake the bitter sadness in Naruto's tone. She hadn't come here to fight him. She didn't want to that now. There would be time to do that. It would be cruel for her to try to kick a dog while it was licking its wounds. Naruto was still special to her; she would not be that cruel. The Godaime Hokage settled on Naruto's right hand and placed to small cups on the freshly cut grass.

Naruto glanced at the cups for a moment before pouring sake. He took his cup and sipped in the contents in silence. They drank for a couple of minutes in silence. Naruto didn't look at Tsunade; his eyes were staring firmly at the stone in front of him. Tsunade had the same look, she was thinking about her former teammate. That damned pervert had decided to die before she could die. He left her alone in this world to shoulder the weight. Selfish bastard.

"You look miserable," Tsunade finally said without looking at Naruto.

"I am," Naruto admitted. "Sensei was my family. I lost my other family before I was even born. So, there was not much pain but just loneliness. This was the first loss, and I thought if I had moved quickly, I could have saved him."

Tsunade was silent for a couple of moments before responding. "Perhaps you could have done it but he is dead. It is a pain saying that but that is the truth. We just have to continue living," she said. "I'm sure he would have been disappointed with you right now. He was be rolling down there."

Naruto smiled sadly at this. "Now doubt," he said. "He'd look at me with these eyes of disappointment and then shake his head. I think sometimes it is best I am not able to see that look. What gives me comfort is that sensei would have been the first person who trusted me when I spoke. His disappointment would have been that I am the cause for the current tensions."

"And it is only going to get worse," Tsunade said in a cold tone. "Why don't you put a stop to this, Naruto? Onoki can shout and curse for all I care but if you stop this, I won't do anything against you. Konoha will protect you."

"Stop?" Naruto asked. "What will that achieve, ba-chan? I have already taken the Bijuus; I nearly killed the Raikage. Stopping means returning the Bijuus and then giving up my life to appease these people. But I cannot do that. You'll forgive me, but I cannot stop now. I will be judged for my actions. I'm becoming miserable now, perhaps I will even delve deeper once things get dangerous, but I chose this path, I will bear the weight."

Tsunade put on a sad look on her face and stared into the empty space ahead of her. Naruto wasn't fine. What he was doing was surely not making him a happy person deep inside, and yet he was still going to continue. He wasn't making things easy for her. He wasn't making it easy for her to say he must be killed because he was an evil person who wanted to cause nothing but destruction. Tsunade was certain though, Naruto wasn't after something like that but his actions had the consequence of complete utter chaos within the shinobi nations.

Things were certainly going to be difficult going forward and if Naruto wasn't going to stop, things would only worsen. Naruto would only be in deep shit. Tsunade couldn't help but feel concern for him. She had resolved that they would kill him if he had to be killed. She had made the decision and yet being with like this, it brought all kinds of emotions. She wondered if she could really go with it.

"And if you can't?"

Naruto shook his head. "I will," he said firmly. "I just allowed myself this moment because I wanted to feel human again. I have been a little indifferent to the emotions. You know, it feels like I have been moving without care. You know that Iwagakure sent people to the Wave, right?"

Tsunade nodded. "I sent Kakashi," she said. "Despite opinions about you, I cannot deny that things are better with the trading company. The Feudal Lord has also sent a message and he is willing to pump in more money to the village if we work together to ensure this succeeds. Admittedly, this is going to make transportation simple, and we will be able to get things done quickly."

"I have handled that issue with Iwagakure," Naruto said calmly. "Onoki will be throwing a fit when he learns about it. But I am not concerned about his react to this. He was at fault trying to destroy the lives of the other people. The trading company isn't about me, and if he doesn't see that, he has surely lost all sense and is only consumed by his fear and hatred about me."

"Can you blame him for being consumed by fear?" Tsunade asked. "You are powerful, Naruto. You are able to get into any village you want and then go away. It doesn't matter if you are good or bad, the fact is that you are powerful and that makes people nervous."

"A repeat of the destruction of Uzushio, huh?" Naruto paused for a moment. "People will always fear and demonize whatever it is that they cannot understand and control. If people think killing me is what will save them, they can try it. But have you considered this, Tsunade? If you kill me, the Hidden Villages will fight out for the power of the Bijuus. Do you imagine that kind of chaos? My existence keeps the villages grounded."

"That's blackmail," Tsunade said. "You put a situation that guarantees that those who trust you can't do anything against you because they fear what will happen afterwards. You probably figured that if we have decided to kill you, it will be more of our means for survival, not because we have something against you."

"You give me too much credit, ba-chan," Naruto said with a small smile on his lips. "This is just one of those unintended consequences. I had honestly resigned myself to dying without seeing this possibility. But if just one village begins the hunt, the others will follow. I want to avoid that situation. That aside, the Great Nations have another problem that they must handle."

"It is good that you came here because I wanted to ask you about it," Tsunade said. "What do you know about who is responsible for the attacks? Perhaps you can even make amends by trying to capture this person. I'm sure we would try to work with you," she suggested.

"Sasuke is busy searching for this person," Naruto said. "We both have had encounters with this person. We don't know anything about him what I do know is that he will probably try to get the Elemental Nations to fight me. I have already been blamed for the attacks on your buildings. He will probably do more as long as I continue to walk around."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Why was he framing you for this?" She asked. "What did he even want with you or Sasuke?" She was at most surprised that the Uchiha would be going after this person. But then again, when he left he had mentioned that he may know who had done it.

Naruto glanced at Tsunade for a moment. "If I tell you; you'll decide whether I need to die or live," he said. "What do you think the purpose of the Akatsuki was when gathering all Bijuus?"

Tsunade frowned, "We never came to this point," she said. "Does it matter now anyway? The Akatsuki is dead, you made sure for it."

"It does matter," Naruto said. "Because this person wants to continue with the mission of the Akatsuki. But there is something that is need for this mission to continue. You need the Rinnegan. As long as I have it in my possession, he cannot make the mission."

"What is this mission, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't want to tell you because you might start doubting me. Perhaps the other Kages might even think that I gathered the Bijuus for this purpose. It is best you don't know. I will die with the secret. It is better this way, anyway. If that person is killed, there should be a concern for the future."

"You are not helping yourself, Naruto."

Naruto smiled. "I know," he said quietly. "It was nice talking to you, Tsunade. If you are going to do something, put some resolve into it." He disappeared in the blink of an eye after saying those words.

Tsunade realized, she hadn't asked what he meant by saying that he handled the issue with Iwagakure. Well, Kakashi would return with an answer. She frowned thinking that Naruto might have gone overboard.

 **Kirigakure**

Mei smiled when she opened the door to her home and found a person she could recognize as Naruto. He was wearing a henge, but the smile on his lips was his. She couldn't even mistake the look on his eyes. Unlike last time, he had knocked at her door. Her smile widened at this. She let him inside and looked outside for a moment; it was already night. He really did like coming to her when it was night. She wondered if this was going to be their thing. She wouldn't mind. She would have someone to spend her cold and lonely nights.

"Next time you should tell me before hand when you come so that I can prepare for dinner," Mei said as she closed the door behind her.

Naruto slipped out of his transformation and turned to face the Godaime Mizukage with a smile on his lips. "I will do so," he said. "I think it will be something cool. I have never done it before with someone like you. What is it, a practice run for when we get married?"

Mei nodded with a warm smile on her lips. "I was thinking that perhaps it was the alcohol that was talking that other day," she said as she walked over to him. She led him to the sitting room, and they down on the same couch, looking at each other. "But yes, if we are going to get married, things could work like that. This would be an excellent way to test how we would be able to live with each other." Mei said calmly.

"I can work with that," he said smiling.

"When do I start preparing?" Mei asked a bit happily.

"Tomorrow night, if you are free. After the things that I need to do. I will come here tomorrow night and we will do it," Naruto said.

"I leave for the Kage Summit in two days. So yes, tomorrow night will do," she said with a nod. "What are you going to be busy with? Shouldn't you be done with your mission by now?"

"I am, I have freed all Jinchurikis and even your former Jinchuriki. Tracking him down was a pain but I found him. We managed to get things through. Iwagakure even attempted to steal the Jinchuriki from another village," Naruto shook his head at this. "I think he is becoming very desperate. In any case, I will be busy trying to remove the Kyubi from within me. That should even things a bit."

Mei stared at Naruto for a long minute before nodding her head. "Anything else I should know?"

"I will tell you tomorrow morning, for now, we should not focus on the matters of this world," Naruto said smiling slyly.

Mei matched his smile. "Oh, what do you have in mind?"

Naruto leaned over to Mei and motioned for her to lean in as well. When her face stopped just inches away from his, he captured her lower lip. Mei pulled away and stared at him a bit hungrily before pushing him backwards. She moved over to him and placed both her hands on his chest before staring at him intently.

Seeing that she was taking too long, Naruto wrapped his hands around her back and pulled her towards him before capturing her lips. He kissed her passionately for a moment while his hands moved towards her butt. He grabbed her from behind before her tongue entered his mouth. It wrestled with his for a couple of seconds before Mei pulled away. "You pass," she said with a wide smile on her lips.

"Well, I am a shinobi and my sensei was a self-proclaimed super-pervert," Naruto said with a wide smile on his lips. "What's the next test?"

Mei stared at him for a moment before getting up. "Follow me," she said.

Naruto stopped her from going anywhere. "I think it will be best if we do that while I am carrying you," he said before sweeping the Godaime Mizukage off the floor. "There…" he said before capturing her lips for a couple of seconds. He smiled, "Show me the way, princess."

Mei giggled slightly. "I hope you don't ask that while in the bed," she said.

Naruto laughed at the thought.

 **The Following Day, Uzushiogakure**

Minato's eyes flashed open and stared into the space in front of him. He had been pulled away from the belly of the Shinigami. This was the world of the living. He could recognize it. He held out his hands and stared at them. He was still dead. This was the reincarnation jutsu. Someone used kinjutsu to bring him to this world. That person had found a way to remove the soul from the Shinigami. Grew cautious but he couldn't move his body. He was being restrained, he realized.

His eyes softened when he saw the image of what he could only say was his son. He had held him when he was just little, regardless of old had had become, Minato would always be able to tell that he was looking at the only child he left in this world. "Naruto," he said smiling. There was the nagging thought that his son had used such a forbidden jutsu, but he was happy to see his son.

"Hello, father," Naruto said with a smile. He removed his shirt and exposed the mark on his belly. "Please remove the other half of Kurama's chakra from within you and seal it within me."

Minato smiled. "You're saying please, but you are not giving me much of a choice, are you?" He said before lifting up his shirt. The mark on his belly glowed before he twisted it. He slammed the palm of his right hand on the mark before pulling it. There was dark chakra on his hand. His body moved automatically before he slammed the dark chakra on Naruto's belly.

Once he was done, Minato felt as if he could freely move. He did so, and looked around. "What is this place?"

"Uzushiogakure," Naruto said quietly. "Mother's home village."

"So this is what was left of it after the destruction," Minato said before turning to face Naruto. "You are not wearing a Leaf headband, and you possess a doujutsu, mind explaining to me what is happening, Naruto?"

"I am no longer a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. I left the village some years ago." Naruto said calmly. "Right now, I am the most wanted shinobi in the Elemental Nations. Ah, the Rinnegan, I was given it by someone from mother's clan."

Not many details, but certainly many years have passed and many things have happened. It was apparent that things had not gone in the way he had thought they would. Perhaps he should be sad that his son had left Konoha, but Minato was not. He was concerned that Naruto had become the most wanted man in the shinobi world. "What did you do?"

"I went into all villages with Jinchurikis and took all their Bijuus from them. I won't give them back. They are not pleased with this because they think I have robbed them of their power," Naruto said. "I just thought it would also be best to restore Kurama to his best form since I am also going to release him. Besides, I thought it would be nice if you were freed to meet mother."

"So that is the Kyubi's name," Minato said in a measured tone. "If you release the Kyubi you will surely die and the hidden villages will just try to capture them again."

"I will not die," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "I am going to seal something within me that will make sure that I continue to live my life. You're not jumping on me demanding why I did what I did and why I left Konoha."

"You are my son and I must respect your decisions. I made my decision, and you must make yours and live with it. I'm sure I put you through a lot by making you a Jinchuriki, but I thought it was best to do so." Minato said calmly. "You must have your reasons for doing what you have done."

Naruto nodded his head before looking into the sky. "I do have my reasons, father."

 **End of chapter**

 **What else can I say? Oh yes; thank you for the reviews on the next chapter.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	20. Chapter 20

"Are you going to tell me those reasons?" Minato asked. There was much he had missed, apparently but he was still thinking that he needed to know about why Naruto has done what he did. Perhaps something he was trying to ignore was the fact that Naruto had used a sacrifice to call him into this world. He didn't want to think deeply about it before even hearing why things have become this way.

Naruto looked up for a moment before staring at his father. "I have always wondered how it would be like to stand before my own father. You are a famous man, father. Konoha celebrates your death and life. Growing up, I admired your sacrifice, I wanted to surpass you. Maybe it was because I wanted to receive the praise you that received in your death."

He had lived a lonely and miserable life without knowing who his parents were. It was ridiculous. Perhaps he could curse the Sandaime Hokage for everything that he did not do for him. The old man could have bothered telling him why he was hated, he could have bothered telling him that the man he admired was his father. But he had not and Naruto had spent his childhood being called a demon and hated by the people of Konoha without even knowing why. Mizuki did him a favor by telling him the truth about the Kyubi. The Sandaime would have kicked the bucket without telling him anything. That cursed old geezer. Naruto didn't hate Hiruzen though. The old man had been kind to him.

It had been his stupidity that was also at fault for how things turned out. If he had been smart enough or even bothered to use his head, he would have figured out that he was hated because he was the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. He would have even questioned why the Sandaime would treat him differently from other orphans. But he had been stupid and focused on smiling and pulling pranks while trying to make up for his loneliness.

Although those eyes were strange, Minato could not mistake the pain in them, he could not mistake the bitterness in Naruto's tone. He frowned, thinking of the kind of childhood Naruto must have had.

Naruto smiled sadly, "I did have a miserable childhood. I don't hate or blame you for anything. You did what you thought was best for your village and you fulfilled your duty as Konoha's Kage. Where do I start? Ah, yes, Konoha saw me as nothing more than the demon that killed their loved ones. I was hated, people avoided me and the parents told their children not to play with me. I had no one. The Sandaime wouldn't tell me why I was hated, he wouldn't tell me about my parents. I even found out about being a Jinchuriki in the cruelest way.

"In any case, I left Konoha because I had a dream. Perhaps this is the first time I admit something like this, but I don't want to see Jinchurikis being made in this world. I know the pain, the suffering. I don't wish it for anyone. I attacked all nations with Jinchurikis and took all their Bijuus. All nine of them are in this island. Your son is now the most wanted man in the elemental nations. People disagree with me, but you know, I am a Jinchuriki and I know that Bijuus don't like being stuffed down in a human, being deprived of their freedom."

Minato stared at Naruto. Never did he think that his son would become the most wanted man in the Elemental Nations. He had thought that his son would become the protector of the Hidden Leaf. He would defeat the man who released the Kyubi. That had been his hope when he died, but this was the reality. "It seems that you have become strong, Naruto. If you could take all Bijuus from shinobi villages and still remain here, it means that you have surpassed me."

"That doesn't give me joy, father," Naruto said calmly. "You see, I am trying to change this world, and people don't want to see the good side of things. I had asked the Kages to release the Bijuus but they refused and chose to fight me. So, I did things forcefully. I am also trying to implement a new method of transportation in this world, but just yesterday, Iwagakure tried to destroy that, and I killed many people. I wonder now father, if I should just let myself die when I release the Kyubi."

Minato frowned. Naruto truly sounded miserable. This was his son; forced to carry the burden of being a Jinchuriki and now this. "What would it change to die, Naruto?"

"Nothing much but at least a threat to the Great Nation's power will be destroyed and they can live safely," Naruto said.

Minato was silent for a couple of moments. "But you are not planning on dying."

Naruto shook his head. "I want to continue living. I want to see this world change and enjoy that change. Besides, there is hope that things might not be so bad in the near future."

"What do you mean by that? Aren't you the most wanted person in the shinobi world?"

"I am," Naruto said with a nod. "But I am also the person who has united the small villages under one banner. I also have a great relationship with the Hidden Mist. Suna willingly allowed me to do what I want and I still maintain a good relationship with the Kazekage. Konoha doesn't have a Jinchuriki, so there are no problems and I haven't done anything against the village. I don't plan on doing anything either. I didn't leave because of what they did to me; I left because I want to change the shinobi world."

Despite the situation, Minato managed a smile. He was happy that Naruto didn't have a problem with Konoha. He was happy that his son wasn't filled with hatred. He was happy that his son could still continue to live his life. Not rushing into conclusions was the best thing he could have done things. "Why do you sound so miserable when you have relationships with three Great Nations? Could you return to Konoha if you want to?"

Naruto nodded. "The Godaime Hokage wanted me to return the last time I spoke to her but I said no. I don't want to put Konoha in trouble. I can be hated, hunted down, it is fine. But no one must suffer because of the choice I have decided to make."

"I wonder what your mother would say about this," Minato said. They had different dreams for their son, they had expected something different, something that would lead and protect the Hidden Leaf. Things were different, not what he expected, but perhaps they were not bad. He would never recommend such a path, but there was no stopping now, was there? There was no return, what would shouting do? It wouldn't change what Naruto has already done. He was already even miserable because of the journey he has chosen. But this was his choice, nobody forced him into it.

"I wonder about that as well," Naruto said. "But I have been denying myself that chance because I am afraid of what she would say. I guess since things have gone well with you, I can at least hope for something better with her," he said with a small smile on his lips.

 **Iwagakure**

Onoki was displeased with the turn of events. There had been failure. Perhaps he had underestimated Naruto's abilities but he hadn't expected the blond to deal such a devastating blow to his forces. He had thought that even if Naruto does something, it wouldn't be this kind of blow. He had lost his shinobi, many of them. He was disappointed but not furious. He could still use this opportunity after all. He could still use this chance to gain something on Naruto. But he would need to convince the others to side with him. Either way, Naruto had shown himself to be capable of doing the worst and that should make even those who seem to side with him fear him.

What he hadn't expected though was Konoha and Sunagakure jumping into the ship to defend the Wave Country. It was a surprise to know that Konoha would dare stand in his way. Even more shocking was Sunagakure's boldness. The village was small and its Kage was still a child. Yet, they had brought themselves in his way. It was an unprecedented move. Suna didn't have the military power to stand against Iwagakure but if it combined with Konoha, it would be a problem. In normal circumstances, Onoki would have declared Sunagakure an enemy and threaten it with military force, but he couldn't do anything now. He didn't know yet who his ally was.

Onoki stared at the letter from the Wave Country:

"The Wave Country is deeply displeased by the actions of Iwagakure in attempting to invade it because of reasons it cannot understand. The Wave has not done anything against the Stone, yet the Stone felt it had to march against the Wave. This was unfortunate but the Wave believes that the actions taken against Stone shinobi was sufficient. In order to protect itself and its interests, the Wave will do anything. The Wave demands an apology from Iwagakure. If the apology does not come, we will interpret this as a declaration of war and that Iwa plans to attack us once more. Should this be the case, Iwagakure should prepare itself. The Uzumaki who defended the Wave will take action against Iwa."

Nobody signed for the letter but they expected him to apologize for this? Ridiculous. Onoki would not apologize to a small nation that didn't even have a shinobi village. The Wave didn't threaten him not even the least. But he could not avoid that it also had Konoha in its corner and Naruto was something else. The blond Uzumaki – he did fear. And if Naruto decided to come here, it was going to be chaos. There would be death and destruction. Onoki hoped that the day wouldn't come. He hadn't expected this strong language though. It was amazing that everyone now felt bold. What was happening to the world? In the past, he could just get away with this and no one would say a damn word.

But now, even smaller villages had the backbone to demand apologies from him? He must surely be getting soft.

Onoki glanced at Kurotsuchi before asking. "Do you think Naruto will attack this village?" He asked calmly. He had been thinking that the blond wouldn't do something like that. But since he has shown that he isn't afraid to kill people, he was forced to change his thinking. Then again, if Naruto had just stopped those people without killing, he would have sent an even bigger army.

Kurotsuchi was doing her best not to glare at her grandfather. She loved the old man dearly. But he was seriously losing the plot. He was doing things that only endangered Iwagakure. Naruto hadn't attacked or threatened the Stone. But her grandfather still felt that he needed to do something and now they possibly had not just Naruto as an enemy but the Hidden Leaf and Sand. Kumogakure wasn't going to back them when they had taken such a reckless action. She didn't even know where Kirigakure stood in this mess.

She hoped that Naruto wasn't planning on coming after them. She had been thinking that he wouldn't come here because she knew that if he came here, there would only be destruction. Iwagakure would be weakened and now that they had enemies, wouldn't those enemies take advantage of the situation and invade them? Couldn't her grandfather just think about this situation in the same way as she was?

"I don't know grandfather," Kurotsuchi said with a shake of her head. "But given his response, we can expect anything. You should have known that this was going to happen. You do know that if he comes and fights here, there will only be destruction. Even if we win that battle against him, what do you think is going to happen now that Konoha and Sunagakure are actively acting against us?"

Onoki frowned deeply. "Konoha wouldn't do that. They have become softened by peace. The old Konoha wouldn't waste time," he said. He was confident that Tsunade wouldn't think of invading the Hidden Stone. She was soft. She wasn't like the previous leaders who wouldn't waste time. In the past, it would have been war already but the Hidden Leaf hadn't said anything. Perhaps they were thinking about the summit. He was certainly going to hear from them.

"It doesn't matter but we have opened the door for threats against the village," Kurotsuchi said firmly. "The threat Naruto poses is an even bigger threat that we could have just ignored and minded our own business. I share your sentiments grandfather, his existence is a problem and I wouldn't mind seeing him die. It would ease up tensions, but making more enemies isn't going to solve the situation.

"Have you even bothered to take note the Earth Daimyo supports that business they are doing in the Wave? He wants to get in on the act because the Fire and Wind have already agreed to it. I think the Lightning has also agreed to it as well. These people don't want to get left behind." Kurotsuchi said with a shake of her head. "We will see what happens during the summit. We should be ready to leave anyway."

Onoki nodded calmly. He still didn't like the way Kurotsuchi was talking to him but he wasn't going to complain. Perhaps she was going to be the voice that brings him to his senses. If he was making mistakes, she would learn from him and learn not to repeat those mistakes that he made. "It is going to be a difficult meeting, but we have to come out with positive news or else we will have problems."

"There aren't many problems that I see," Kurotsuchi said. "We are just creating our own problems."

She would not go as far as to say that she didn't see Naruto as a threat. She didn't want her grandfather looking at her in any other way. But the moment she took that seat, she was going to show him that Naruto was not necessarily a threat – it all depended on how you thought about the situation. If you wanted him to be an enemy, he would be an enemy. But Kurotsuchi didn't want to think of him in such a way. She wanted to think that he was a good person who did not have any evil intentions. She wanted to hope that he would not change his mask and turn on her. But this situation that her grandfather had created had complicated things.

Perhaps she was conflicted in her thoughts but Kurotsuchi did believe that she would always put her village first over everything. It had been just a kiss, nothing that could conflict her thoughts. She told herself it was nothing: Just that person who liked teasing her. But he had still offered himself to her. She didn't know what to do about it. If he was serious, wouldn't her grandfather be happy with that? If not, then she could start thinking that it was no longer just about a threat to Iwagakure but something personal.

 **Later that day**

Mei had a large smile on her lips while sitting with Naruto around the dinner table. She was happy that he had kept his word and had joined her for dinner. She had been thinking that perhaps he would not show up. Perhaps she had just been cynical because she had been lonely for a bit too long. But he was here and they were playing their role. No, this wasn't just role play. This was their life. This was a step to the future. She wanted this to become a reality that she would enjoy in many nights. There was the lack of love, but she wasn't worried, they could still have fun. Perhaps by the time they decide to marry, they would have fallen in love – she'd love that.

"So, how was your day?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, looking at Mei curiously. "Is that how a conversation goes? I'm afraid I haven't actually 'lived' with someone that I would have to ask how they spent their day."

"That is how it goes in relationships," Mei said with a nod. "You did have a lonely life, didn't you?"

Naruto nodded. "Lonely and miserable. Well, that is the fate of a Jinchuriki. The Jinchuriki of the seven tails wasn't even allowed to live in her village because of the discrimination. We do suffer a lot. But the future generations will not suffer. They will not experience what this and the past generations have suffered."

Mei smiled warmly. "You are doing something nice and no one will probably even thank you for it," she said.

"When I decided to follow this path, I knew I would be hated. I knew I would not have good relationships with all people. I didn't think I would end up in this table with you. I was actually expecting much worse than this. But I guess surprises do happen. Nevertheless, I wasn't expecting any reward for my actions. My reward is when villages give up on the hunt of Bijuus and this world changes. If I can see that, then I will be happy," Naruto explained lightly.

"We will see it," Mei said in a firm tone. "This world is already changing – both Konoha and Sunagakure will probably protect you instead of supporting methods to kill you. I am certain that Kumogakure will still be mad at you for what you did to its Kage…"

"That is something that makes you hopeful," Naruto paused before responding to Mei's earlier question. "My day was delightful, Mei. I met both my parents. I met them and we had a lovely chat. It was refreshing. I'd always wanted to meet them. Perhaps things would have been different if I'd met them when I was younger, but I am still glad that I will leave this world having known them."

Mei stared at Naruto for a long moment. She knew his father was the Yondaime Hokage but she didn't know anything about his mother. She would not pry unless he decided to share it with her. She didn't want to be that kind of person who wanted to know all the details. She smiled, "I knew was something was up when you came here," she said.

Naruto smiled warmly. "Meeting them made me realize that I want to continue living. I want to be happy and I cannot afford to give up now. There is still much more that I can achieve and do," the blond said confidently. "How was yours?"

"Spent much of the time thinking about this moment," she said.

Naruto laughed, "You sounded like a teenage girl, Mei," he said. "You know, when you really want something, you spend so much time thinking about it and you even become a bit giddy at the thought. Well, this is the start of something we want to be beautiful, isn't it?"

Love affairs; Naruto also wanted that. He didn't want a life of fulfilling canal desires. He wanted to experience love and the joys of life. Ino was probably tossing and turning while cursing his name right about now. She must be miserable, thinking about him and missing him. He had done what he did to protect her. Perhaps he should visit her once more again. It would be a happy moment. She was something into his life. Naruto shook his head. What was he doing thinking about another woman when he was with the Godaime Mizukage?

"Yes," Mei said. "We'll have to spend more moments like this to know more about each other. We already understand each other, and our thinking isn't foreign to the other, so it shouldn't be a problem for us to get along,"

"Yeah," Naruto said. "Are we going to have something like a family?"

Perhaps the thought was a bit frightening, but he was no longer a child and he could think about this. Would he have thought that it would be possible when he was still just a child running through the streets of Konoha or when he was still singing love longs to Sakura? Maybe yes, maybe not. But if he was thinking about a future with Mei, that would have to come but it would depend on whether she does want to have children or not – this was the frightening thought. How would he act being a father?

"Of course," Mei said with a nod of her head. She fell silent for a couple of moments before speaking again with a warm smile on her lips. "I never thought that I would be talking about this. A part of me had given up on the thought of being married. I'd been thinking that I would die with a bottle of sake beside me. But now, the idea of being a mother looks real. The idea of walking in a park with my husband and child looks real. I don't want to lose this dream. I want to cherish it until we make it a reality."

He was still a wanted man in this world. He could not move freely because people wanted to kill him. "But it does change a couple of things," Naruto said.

Mei nodded. "I know," she said. "But please allow me to dream. If there is something that I can do to make sure that you continue living peacefully without putting this village at risk, I will do it. Perhaps it is a bit selfish of me but I still want to do it. I'm sure both the Hokage and Kazekage will agree with me."

"I wonder about that," Naruto said. "Still, it is amazing how things change overnight." He paused tilting his head to the side. "What do we do after dinner?" The night was still young. There was still much time before he could feel sleepy. Perhaps he was a little bit excited to sleep or even think about going to bed at this time.

"I don't know," Mei said. "How about something romantic?"

"I can live with that," Naruto said. He said those words but he couldn't think of doing anything that could be considered romantic. Jiraiya had taught him some things, he had seen many things, but this was different. It wasn't like being with Ino. This experience was unique. Naruto could feel that he would enjoy it. He would love this future he was hoping to have with the Mizukage.

In the end, there was nothing to do and so they just strolled through the streets of the Hidden Mist, shoulder to shoulder, and in a leisurely pace. Mei truly felt comfortable in the silence. It was peaceful, perhaps she was getting a bit over excited about everything but she could not deny that this moment fulfilled her – it made her happy.

"Say Naruto," Mei started in a calm and thoughtful tone. "Wouldn't it be better if we could walk in the streets in daylight like this?"

Naruto didn't need to think about it to say it would be better – it would be happiness. But he was still a wanted man in the elemental nations. People wanted to kill him for his perceived crimes and threat to the great nations. He smiled sadly. "It would be much better, but I do wonder, Mei, will I get the chance to enjoy that moment?"

The Godaime Mizukage smiled. "I told you, I will do what I can for you," she said. "If things work out right, then there is a chance that you can live happily. We can live happily for the rest of our lives."

 **The Following Day**

It was always something to be able to touch your dreams, to see your dreams coming to life. He had been dreaming about this, he had been thinking about this and he had made plans for this. But this was something that was finally happening. Naruto was happy that his dream had come to life. He was happy that his dream was happening. He was currently sitting in a train that was speeding through the Fire Country, heading towards the Rain. This was the first train, a significant moment that signaled a change to how people travelled. Civilians would now be able to travel to foreign lands easily without the threat of being abducted by bandits and robbed of their belongings before being sold to traffickers.

Naruto's eyes turned towards the window, looking at the trees that the train was passing as it travelled. It felt truly good. He had been right to bring this new development into this side of the world. There would more technology that he would bring into this world. The Snow Country was rich in technology. It was still new but it was something that could be developed in this part and he would revolutionize the Elemental Nations.

When the train finally entered the Rain, Guren walked up to him sat down on the seat across him. She released a long tired sigh as she sat. "This has been a long journey and it really feels weird sitting on this thing while it moves," she said to Naruto.

"But it is good, right?" Naruto asked.

Guren nodded. "It is," she said. "It makes it easier to move around and you don't have to camp out in the night as a shinobi while travelling longer distances. Well, there will be routes that the trains won't be able to take but it still does make things much easier. I think we can live with this."

"I thought it would when I saw them in the Snow Country. During my training, I decided that it was something I could use to change the Elemental Nations. I have long realized that our way of living as shinobi is what attracts the wars and the hatred, but if we could change the way we do things, maybe there will be good changes that will make things easy for a revolution."

"It doesn't become easy when you are the most wanted person," Guren reminded Naruto.

Naruto nodded. "I know," he said. "But it was better to start things this way. I did count on having many friends. Maybe we could even move things to such a way that we will control the nations," he said.

Guren smiled, "Don't you already control the Feudal Lords of the Great Nations? You couldn't have gotten their approval without having some way with them. I know the Emperor's Palace is also used for spying on these people and the information is used against them. Maybe you don't have any intentions of destroying things, but you certainly have all intentions of being able to manipulate things in the shadows," she said, staring at Naruto with a look.

Naruto looked through the window for a moment before asking. "Is that something that a good person would do?"

"Perhaps not," Guren said with a shrug. "Am I wrong though?"

Naruto shook his head. "It is true that I don't mean to threaten the powers of the Hidden Villages but I established this because I wanted influence. We will soon be able to control the trade borders. We will be distributing food to villages. Humans cannot survive without food. If shinobi don't have food, they will not go to war. They will just starve in battle. We will put our hands on their food and when they threaten to do something, we squeeze their food security, their supplies. We also have enough information and control of information that things cannot happen without us knowing. Control the information and you control how people act. You also know how people will act based on the information you have."

Guren shook her head. What had she been thinking when she thought this person was truly kind? Well, he wasn't evil but if the Kages knew those plans he has, they would certainly not be against the idea of wishing for his death. The Feudal Lords were already in his pockets and they also had the power to influence the decisions of the Great Villages. "This is why you are not afraid of 'dying.'"

"Yes, it is irrelevant as long as the company stays in alive," Naruto said calmly. "I didn't even expect that I would have a personal relationship with three of the five Great Hidden Villages. I can also make my move in Iwagakure if Kurotsuchi takes charge of the village."

"How?"

Naruto smiled. "By touching her heart of course," he said. "I might have played the same trick with Tsunade. And I'm certain she will work out things as I think she will in the summit. I offered myself to Kurotsuchi. If she wishes, she can marry me. In this way, she makes sure that I stay close to her. If the marriage produces a child, I am bound to her more than ever. With how I am, I wouldn't act against Iwagakure because of my fears."

"What fears?"

"I was a Jinchuriki, I know what it is to suffer from being isolated and hated by people. If I have a child with Kurotsuchi and end up acting against Iwagakure, my child will receive the contempt. He will be hated; he will be blamed for the sins of his father. I could never have that in my life."

"So, if they had that knowledge, they wouldn't be so nervous," Guren said.

"Naturally, but I am not going to broadcast my weaknesses to people." Naruto said looking straight at Guren. "And you are not going to say anything about it, are you?"

"I value my life," Guren said.

"You make it sound as if I'd kill you if went on to do something like that," Naruto said.

"Well, I wouldn't put it past you or the hounds of the Emperor's Palace." Guren said a bit sharply. "I know that place does some serious things."

Naruto smiled. "You are learning more things, that is good," he said. "The Wave Country is only going to grow bigger and better. Soon, you might even have shinobi moving into the land. When this happens, someone will be needed to take charge. You will be that person." Naruto paused for a moment before speaking once more. "When this train reaches Amegakure, Konan will welcome it. She is the Leader of the village; inform her that I will speak to her after the Kage Summit. You will continue to move with the Train as it goes to Sunagakure and then you will return to the Wave. Make sure nothing happens to it."

"I will try my best," Guren said.

"I don't expect anything else," Naruto said before vanishing from his seat without saying another word.

 **Land of Iron**

Gaara looked at Tsunade with a thoughtful look on his face. They were the first two to arrive for the summit and this was something that he wanted. The Kages would not want to sit here for too long knowing that there was still danger in their nations. The other threat that wasn't Naruto was something that he could not ignore and none of the Kages could ignore it either. Perhaps they would find some solution to it in this summit. But Gaara was looking at Tsunade because he had something to say to her about Naruto's situation perhaps more specifically about Iwa's actions that caused Naruto to react in the way he did. Perhaps he had been a bit extreme, but the actions of Onoki shouldn't be something that is condoned.

If they could not stand up to a village that likes to bully small nations then they were doing something wrong. The time was over for small villages to be threatened by the big nations and for others to just look away to avoid the threat of war. People could not do wrong things and simply get away with them because they felt they were strong and could do whatever they wanted. Perhaps that also applied to Naruto and Gaara would make sure that even Naruto didn't do as he pleased because he felt he was strong.

"You have something on your, mind, Kazekage," Tsunade said in a calm tone.

Gaara nodded. "I was thinking about what we are going to do about Iwagakure's actions towards the Wave Country."

Tsunade really couldn't understand what would possess Onoki to do what he did. He should have known that because Naruto was behind the project he would protect it at all costs. Yet, the old man had done it. Perhaps he was way past his working days and should be retired by now. Either way, what happened could not be reversed; they just had to deal with it. "We cannot let Onoki off the hook even after what Naruto did. There is no telling that he isn't going to try something like that again."

"That is why I was thinking that we must do something," Gaara said. "The harder question becomes what can we actually do?" He asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "I don't know. I have been thinking about it but I can't think of something. Even if we make certain demands, he will probably just ignore them because he knows we are not going to threaten war. If it was Kumo, it would be a different story. No doubt the Raikage would threaten to attack him."

"What is worrying but perhaps something will come up," Gaara said. "Do you know what the Wave plans to do or what Naruto has planned to do about it?"

"No," Tsunade said. She frowned, thinking about just how miserable Naruto had been when she saw him. She really cared for him and didn't want to end up doing something against him. At this point, fighting against him was only going to end him with misery. Couldn't there be something better in the near future? "Do you think we can protect him?"

Gaara was a little surprised hearing that from Tsunade. She had been the one to send him a message saying that Konoha had resolved to kill Naruto if there was the need to go that far. And now she was talking about protecting him? Naruto hadn't done anything against the Leaf; there was no animosity between the two. "What makes you say that?"

Tsunade smiled sadly, "I just spoke to him recently and I got worried," she said. "Well, we will see what Kiri and Kumo have to say. At this point, we can say that Iwagakure's thoughts about Naruto are irrelevant. The village has it in big and seems to have lost the idea of what is right and wrong. We cannot be pushed to do anything by that kind of village."

Gaara nodded. He did not smile, but he was smiling in the inside.

 **About an hour later…**

A silent Raikage was the first to arrive, followed by the Mizukage and Onoki last along with his guards. The Atmosphere was tense. Mei hadn't been expecting such tension. She could see that both Konoha and Sunagakure where not looking at Onoki with a clean eye. She knew they were probably not happy about what the Tsuchikage had tried to do. He was stopped but it did not rub away his attempts and intentions. There was not even telling if he wasn't planning on doing something like that even now as they sit like this.

Mifune arrived in the room and the tension seemed to lighten a bit as the samurai started speaking. "As the neutral party, I will steer this summit, do you have any complaints?"

"None," A was first to speak.

"Do you all agree?" Mifune asked, looking around the round table for consent from other Kages. They all nodded their heads and he spoke once more. "I expect you all to behave like Kages. I will not accept any threats being made to any other villages. You have gathered here to find solutions not start war against each other. I must remind you that we are the ones who always suffer when you shinobi fight. We don't want to fight such meaningless wars that only bring pain to us."

"Whether we go to war or not depends on what is being said in this meeting. We cannot agree on something if one of us or any of us is working with the enemy," Onoki started with a tone filled with suspicion. There was no telling that both Konoha and Sunagakure are not working with Naruto to weaken the other Great Nations.

"Are you suggesting that one of us is working with Naruto, Tsuchikage?" The Raikage demanded, looking at the old man with a stern look on his face.

If that was the case, then it changed everything. It changed how they were going to deal with the situation. If indeed Naruto was working with another village, the purpose would be to definitely weaken them. A could not have something like that. He would not allow that kind of situation to stand. There would be war the moment they leave this place. He did doubt that Tsunade would work with Naruto though. The blonde Hokage wasn't that kind of person. But you never know with shinobi, if it was in the interest of Konoha, wouldn't she do it? He would certainly do it.

"Is that something that should be said by you?" Tsunade said, glaring at the Tsuchikage. "I know you are probably accusing Konoha and Sunagakure of such things… I really don't want to defend myself but let me point out that the Akatsuki which was hunting down Jinchurikis, almost succeeded in taking the Kazekage and Kumo's Jinchuriki was an organization that you once used. We should be looking at you when talking about working with the enemy."

"My business with the Akatsuki has nothing to do with you all and that is the past." Onoki said a bit sharply. "When I was working with them, they were still just a mercenary group."

"Nobody denies that and nobody is accusing you of colluding with the enemy, and yet you accuse of doing exactly that with Naruto," Gaara said to Onoki. "Is that fair? You want to point fingers at us, but you won't point fingers at yourself? What do we call that?"

"Hypocrisy," Mei answered, a bit amused by the situation.

Onoki glared at Gaara. "I see the young ones no longer respect their elders," he said with a slight shake of his head. "Naruto is the Leaf's former shinobi and even after he left, he was still being seen coming and leaving the village. Shouldn't we suspect that he is working with you?"

"Naruto was a Leaf shinobi before he started what he did," Tsunade said with a shrug. "It is the same argument you used regarding the Akatsuki. You shouldn't complain. Besides, he has even come and gone in your village. I haven't heard of any attack in your village."

"You are going to defend him?"

Tsunade shook her head. "I'm not defending him; I am just telling you that we don't work with him. He was a former shinobi. Yes, we don't have any reason to hate him. Let us look at this clearly instead of eyes filled with hatred. Naruto has not threatened the Leaf in any way, should I have a reason to hate him? Should I send my shinobi after him when he hasn't threatened the security of the Leaf?"

"So you don't care about what he does to other villages?"

Tsunade snorted. "When did you any of start caring about threats that didn't involve your villages?"

"Enough of this!" The Yondaime Raikage shouted, banging his hand on the table. "This isn't going to get us anywhere. We are not going to find solutions to our problems. And you seem to forget that there is a menace that is threatening all of us and has already done some damage. We cannot get lost over some petty arguments over who is working with whom!"

"Be careful with that hand, you only have one left," Onoki couldn't help himself. "Can we all agree that Naruto is a threat to our villages? He is a threat that we cannot allow to continue existing. We have to stop him at all costs. He has already taken our Jinchurikis and has shown himself to be too powerful. While he has taken our Jinchurikis, he himself remains a Jinchuriki. If he was truly being honest when he said he didn't want any more Jinchurikis, he would have removed the Kyubi from himself but just days ago, he was still transforming. That means that he is nothing but a terrorist."

"Naruto's power is certainly a threat – this, we cannot deny." Gaara started in a calm tone. "I allowed him to remove the Bijuu from within me. I cannot fault him for doing so. I no longer wanted to be a Jinchuriki… can I say that he must now become an enemy? Since did we get the right to decide who must live and who must die because they are too powerful?"

"That is just a naïve way of looking at things!" Onoki snapped. "We are Kages; we have a duty to protect our villages!"

"I agree with you on that point," Mei started speaking in a calm tone. "You are saying that Naruto is dangerous, perhaps he is. His power is indeed something of concern, but why must Kirigakure sacrifice its shinobi to fight him? What would I be protecting my village from? He hasn't threatened Kiri and the conversations we have had have been about trade; that is beneficial to Kiri. Do you consider that a threat to Kiri, Tsuchikage-dono?"

Kurotsuchi found herself nodding inwardly. She had been having those thoughts exactly. Her grandfather could not have a way out of those questions because the Mizukage made a valid point that could not be shrugged. She didn't want her grandfather going back to Iwagakure looking like he was just paranoid. She had expected something from the Raikage though. But at this case, the other three seemed to be on Naruto's side. For some reason, she felt relieved. She hated herself for it, but that was what was inside of her.

"We also know that Naruto isn't the one who has been attacking our villages. You must also know this and yet you have chosen to blame it on Naruto," Tsunade said, looking at Onoki. "Naruto did take your Jinchuriki, but he never attacked your village. If there is anyone who should have a problem, it should be the Raikage."

If Naruto was going to be hunted down and Tsunade was going to take part in it, it would have to be because of reasons that would not give her regrets. She didn't want to end up having to take part in Naruto's death when he hadn't threatened anyone. She was still willing to go either way, but she needed a good reason for handling this issue. She needed to think carefully and not just take part in an action that is influenced by paranoia and clouded by anger.

Onoki had a deep frown on his lips. Kiri, Konoha and the Sand were not going to play their part. But they had seemed like they would be playing their part. Perhaps it was because they all benefited from what Naruto was doing that they didn't care about anything else. He should have expected these people to act like this. He should have expected things to happen like this. But he had not. He thought they would agree with him. Why couldn't they see the danger in this part?'

"What is your view, Raikage?" Onoki asked the Raikage.

A looked around the table for a moment before speaking. "Aside from Iwagakure, you all don't seem to view Naruto as a threat," the Raikage said calmly. The Kages nodded to confirm these words. "Why? If Naruto isn't planning to use the Bijuus why is he still a Jinchuriki?"

"That is a question that I cannot answer," Gaara said with a shake of his head. "But what if it is protect himself? Unlike with me, both you and Iwa value the power of Jinchurikis. I assume it is much more of a problem to you. Not to mention he also did that to you," the Kazekage said pointing at the hand that Naruto had cut off.

"It is, and I will not forgive it," the Yondaime Raikage said in a firm tone. "He was close to killing me because he asked me if I would be willing to hunt him down. When I said I would go after him, he chose to kill me to protect himself. I guess that is the rule of life. When someone threatens your existence, you remove it. Kumo respects power. I have lost my hand, but it doesn't mean much. However, the loss of my Bijuus would have been a problem if I was the only one who lost the Bijuus. But I am not and my shinobi are still alive and they maintain contact with their former Bijuus.

"However, this cannot erase the fact that Naruto has invaded my village, threatened my existence. I will not forget what he has done. Kumo itself has not been threatened. But we cannot live peacefully knowing that there is a shinobi who is running around within the shinobi nations who has the power to enter any village and do as he pleases. That is my biggest concern."

"Then this makes things easier," Black Zetsu said appearing out of nowhere. Only half of his body formed from the ceiling. The guards immediately took their positions, standing on guard upon seeing the appearance. "I guess I should announce myself as the one who is responsible for attacking your villages. But I only want one thing; Uzumaki Naruto. Give him to me and I will stop with my attacks. If you do not give him to me, your villages will be attacked. Your shinobi will kill each other and you will not know who to trust."

"Who are you?"

"I am no one; I just want Naruto's head." Black Zetsu said. "I have already demonstrated that I can get into any of your villages, and I will do it again if you do not give me Naruto."

When Naruto appeared in the room in a flash, Black Zetsu disappeared into the wall. Naruto frowned looking up into the ceiling. "That was disappointing," he muttered in a steel tone. He felt killing intent being directed towards him and then shrugged it off before settling down with his legs crossed. "If you want to attack me, you are free to do so," he said a bit carelessly.

"What are you doing here, Uzumaki?" The Raikage demanded. "Are you working with him?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not the kind of person who would go as far as to kill innocent people. I am also insulted that you'd think I would work with such trash. I have asked around, that is a former member of the Akatsuki. Their objective was to gather all nine Bijuus and I have done that. However, no one can do anything as long as I am alive. He needs me to get the Bijuus to use them for his own objectives."

"What do you mean as long as you live no one can do anything with the Bijuus?"

"Let us not fool ourselves. I know that if I cease to exist, you people are just going to enter into another race to capture Bijuus and it will be war afterwards. I have taken measures to ensure that all nine Bijuus can never be sealed into another host as long as I live. I don't have to explain anything, but as long as I live, no one will hunt the Bijuus. You have things to worry about anyway and Kumo should be pleased that its former Jinchurikis can still use some of that power. I am curious about what the Kages will decide to do about this threat though."

"What happens if we decide to give you to him?"

Naruto smiled, "that would be foolish," he said. "I have already told you that I am the access to all Bijuus. I do see the danger of leaving them at one place. This is why I have this request: I will return the Bijuus I have taken to each country, but you are not to attempt to seal them again. If you try it, I will kill everyone who does this."

"Why would you do something like that?"

"It was never my intention to return the Bijuus. I would have liked to keep them some place safe and away from humans but there is this threat that forces my hand. I don't know what happens tomorrow. If something happens to me, if you decide to hunt me down, at least this person will have the job of hunting them one by one. Since your former Jinchurikis still have connection, they will still be able to know what is happening and if anyone is attacking them." Naruto looked around the room. "If I do that, that lessons the idea that I want to use the Bijuus for something else, yes?"

"It does, but it doesn't change what you have done," the Raikage said in a hardened tone.

"It does not," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "But that should still work out to diminish the threat level from my part. You also have your problems with that person; I don't want to increase the burden… Oh, I believe your enemy's name is Zetsu," he said before disappearing in a flash.

Mei smiled. At least things worked out this way. Perhaps the appearance of this enemy was something that helped everything on their part. Naruto had a chance. He could live. Onoki could not possibly have any reasons to demand Naruto's head. The Raikage should have the reason, not Iwagakure. She could now walk with Naruto without any fears. She could think of a future with him walking in broad day light to her home without being afraid of being attacked by anyone.

"Do you still consider Naruto a threat?"

Onoki glared at the Mizukage. "It doesn't matter, you are not going to do anything about it anyway," he said. "We cannot deny that this Zetsu poses a major threat. He has already attacked us, but we cannot think that he has the numbers to threaten the Great Nations. However, we cannot underestimate him either."

"By that are you saying you are not going to give into his demands?" Tsunade asked with a raised eye brow.

"Of course not," Onoki was quick to say. "I will not allow that person to get away with what he did. Innocent people died in my village and if he wants Naruto, it can only for his power and the access to the Bijuus. That takes priority now. But Naruto is still an enemy."

"What happens if Zetsu proves to have an army that can challenge us?"

"Don't be ridiculous," The Raikage said. "Where is that army hiding? We cannot be threatened like this. We are the five Kages; we cannot give into demands of some unknown entity. Besides, we know that even Naruto will be after this person."

Gaara nodded to this. "But we must still have a plan if something unexpected does happen," he said.

"Would cooperation between our villages suffice?" Mei asked, looking around the table.

"Kumogakure will handle any threat that comes to its village and as long as Naruto returns Kumo's Bijuus, we will not actively hunt him down. However, his actions will not be forgiven or forgotten." The Raikage said while standing up. "If things occur in a way that we do need to cooperate, I will be open for it, but for now, Kumo will handle its business." He started leaving after saying those words and no one stopped him.

Before Onoki could also leave seeing that he was surrounded by his enemies, Tsunade was first to speak. "We have an issue with you regarding what you tried to do the Wave country. We cannot excuse such actions, Tsuchikage. And I am certain that Naruto hasn't forgotten about it either. If you try something like that again, you won't just have a Naruto problem, you will also have us as a problem. I don't think we'd even be inclined to help out if Naruto decided to destroy Iwagakure because of your ill-advised actions."

Onoki stared at Tsunade. "Are you threatening me?"

The Godaime Hokage shook her head. "I am not. I am merely warning you and you brought this upon yourself. Don't blame anyone for it. You are the one who wanted to invade another nation which we have interest in. You did not consider things before you acted, and one day, you will pay for it."

Onoki didn't say anything in response; he just stood up and decided to leave.

After the Tsuchikage left, Gaara spoke. "Well that went well," he said. "Naruto doesn't have to be hunted and we met our true enemy. It is a problem because we don't know what he wants. But I assume Naruto knows what he wants from the Bijuus."

"We must talk to him about this and seek out his cooperation regarding this Zetsu," Tsunade said. "But can the three of us agree to help each other in case things get too dangerous? We are the only nations that seemed to have been in the same page during the meeting."

"What do you suggest?" Mei asked, looking at the Godaime Hokage curiously.

She didn't have a problem in creating an alliance with the two villages. She was already in an alliance with Sunagakure, although indirectly, through Naruto's trading network. It would not be a bad thing to have something that went deeper than just trade. An alliance would surely create an environment for stronger relationships between the three villages. And maybe somewhere in the future, the other two Great Nations would join them and they would be a step closer to peace.

"Military and Intelligence cooperation," Tsunade offered. "If there is a need to go to war, our shinobi will fight under the same banner. But we would need to have a chain of command and everything."

"We can all be joint commanders," Mei said. "I think it works well for our shinobi to know that their Kages are working together to the protection of their villages. It also makes it easy for them to be able to work together and fight side by side. If there is a need for us to go into battle, we can always go together."

"That is agreeable," Gaara said.

"Then we have an agreement," Mei said.

Tsunade nodded. She stared at the Mizukage for a long moment. The woman had appeared to be a support for Naruto that she had not been expecting. She knew the blond had a relationship with Kiri but she hadn't thought that the woman would be on their side. She felt compelled to ask. "What is your relationship with Naruto?"

Mei smiled, "What makes you think I have a relationship with him?"

"I don't know, I just think you do have something to do with him. Gaara calls him his friend and for me, well, he is someone I care very well for. It is personal for us and we know him very well. But what about you?"

Mei considered her response for a couple of seconds before smiling. "Naruto will probably kill me for this, but he is my future husband," she said. "You will all be invited to our wedding," she said to the surprised looks of the two Kages.

 **Minutes later**

Of all the things that could happen, Naruto had to be in a relationship with the Godaime Mizukage? What was happening with that person? Tsunade could not believe that Naruto was planning to marry Mei. Couldn't he have found someone his age? The woman hadn't said anything about the relationship or how things even began – she had refused to say anything. Well, at least he had someone to love. He would not be so miserable and she too would not be miserable.

"What do you think, Kakashi?"

"About the Mizukage?" The silver haired Jonin asked.

Tsunade shook her head. "I mean about with how things ended up concluding. We don't have to do anything to Naruto. We probably will be working with him and Kumo will not be actively hunting him. This means that he does have a chance to live a normal life. If he is going to marry the Mizukage, then he is going to end up being a shinobi of the Hidden Mist. This is honestly disappointing. I would have liked it for him to return home."

"I'm just happy that he has found someone to be happy with," Kakashi said with an eye smile. "We don't even know if he won't return to Konoha. But does it matter? I think Naruto deserves to be happy."

"I'm not against that," Tsunade said. "I would be happy if he was actually happy with his life. It pained me to see him miserable last time. Perhaps Jiraiya's death affected him more than I had first thought. Regardless, the future looks bright again that is all that matters."

"But we still have another problem," Kakashi reminded.

Tsunade frowned. She almost cursed Kakashi for ruining the mood. But this was something that she could not avoid. Even being here made her worry about what could be awaiting her when she returns home. She was worried that Zetsu might attack once more. She didn't even know anything about him. It was a problem but she could not really avoid it, could she? "We should hurry back home," she said to Kakashi.

The Jonin merely nodded and increase his pace.

 **Later that day**

It was late night, Kurotsuchi couldn't sleep. It was one those nights. They had found a motel along the way back to Iwagakure and had decided to rest. Her grandfather was way too old to be moving around for long distances anyway. Still, she had many things to think about. She was certainly going to end up inheriting a huge mess in Iwa and her grandfather wasn't making it easy. She could not tell him he was wrong. She could not act against him. Perhaps his actions were wrong, but he deserved his moment. He didn't deserve to go out in a disgraceful way after everything that he has given their village. For how long has he been serving their village? Has he led them to ruin even though he has fought wars? He has always done what was best for them.

Kurotsuchi was perhaps glad that there would be no hunting party for Naruto. She was even happy that he was going to end up returning the Bijuus. She was certain that he would do as he had warned and everyone who does attempt to seal the Bijuus would be in trouble. Maybe his action would also prevent a disastrous risk of Bijuu hunting. She would have been forced to live through those difficult times as Tsuchikage. But she was going to avoid it. There was a better sense of tomorrow, but she still didn't know what her grandfather was going to do about the conclusions of the summit.

Thinking of Naruto while alone like this, Kurotsuchi found herself touching her lips, thinking about that kiss. She was indeed starting to lose her mind. She was going to kill that person for making her experience so much self-loathing. She shouldn't think of an enemy of Iwa with a smile and longing, but she did.

Kurotsuchi nearly jumped away when Naruto landed on the balcony. She had been out here, getting some fresh air, she hadn't expected him to appear out of nowhere. "Are you trying to get me to stab you?" She asked calmly.

"That would have been an overreaction," Naruto said.

Kurotsuchi shrugged. "I don't think so," she said calmly. "When you just appear like that, the reflex is to take out a kunai because you think you are being attacked. You are lucky i quickly noticed you. If not, it would have stabbed you through the back."

"Stab first and ask questions later, huh?" Naruto said. "What are you doing at a time like this? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I can ask you the same question?" Kurotsuchi said.

"I was actually following you. I was waiting for the right moment to speak to you after what happened today and what your grandfather planned to do to the Wave Country." Naruto said. "I was honestly thinking that I should perhaps just kill him. Things would be much simpler for me that way."

Kurotsuchi frowned deeply. She had hoped that things would not come this far. She had known that there would be some reaction to Iwa's attempted invasion of the Wave. "Can you not go that far? I would not forgive you if you hurt my grandfather. Regardless of everything, he is my family and Iwa's leader; I will not forgive anyone who harms him."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment. This was predictable. But there were ways for him to do things. He certainly didn't want Kurotsuchi to end up hating him. It would just complicate things and create a stumbling block that would hold back peace. Konan was waiting for him to bring peace into this world. He would not bring peace by killing Onoki.

"Do you think I care if you don't forgive me?"

"Personally, I don't think you'd care but if you are right about your intentions, you wouldn't want a situation that would leave me looking at you with contempt," Kurotsuchi said.

"You have learned a couple of things," Naruto said in a quiet tone. "Were you satisfied by today's outcome?"

"In some way, yes…" Kurotsuchi said with a nod of her head. "Things went better than expected. At least none of the villages threatened Iwagakure over its actions. It would have been a problem. But as long as we are careful, there shouldn't be any problem."

Naruto nodded his head. He turned towards Kurotsuchi and smiled. "I just came to check up on you to see if we'd be able to get along with you after you become Tsuchikage. It does seem to be the case… so I hope we will work well together."

Kurotsuchi was silent for a couple of moments. When Naruto tried leaving, she grabbed his right hand – stopping him from leaving. Naruto looked at her curiously.

"You are going to draw blood if you keep biting your lip like that," he said with his head tilted to the side. He could see that she was struggling with her emotions. When she looked at him with confidence, Naruto cut the space between them.

His hands moved behind her before he started kissing her. Her breath was warm, he could hear the sound of her heart beating quickly; he saw her eyes close as she enjoyed the kiss. Naruto closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in the feeling. She wasn't tense, her body was warm, and felt nice. As he deepened the kiss while pushing her towards a wall, Naruto's hands moved to the front and ended up on Kurotsuchi's chest. He attempted to snake through her upper clothing but his body froze when he felt her hand grabbing something.

She was staring at him. "What the hell are you doing?" She demanded.

"Ah, come on," Naruto complained. "You'll let me kiss you but you won't let me touch your breasts?"

"Don't do anything stupid. I'm not going to undress for you," Kurotsuchi said. "I'm allowing you to kiss me but keep your hands off anywhere that isn't my neck or back… understood? If you move anywhere without permission, I am going to squeeze, is that understood?"

Naruto nodded quickly. "Can you let go now?" He asked. When she did, he breathed freely. "That was rather cold of you. You don't do that… If you are going to put your hands there, can I also do the same?"

"You are free to do so if you have a death wish," Kurotsuchi said in a dangerous tone.

Naruto smiled. "Let us not talk death now…" he said before placing his hands on her neck and then once more again, started kissing her.

 **End of chapter**

 **Some of ya'll love seeing action too much; some thought the chapter was boring. Why? There were no fights. I still didn't do anything on this chapter. Probably there will be something in the next chapter. There have also been mentions of Madara's return. On that note, let us not get too far ahead.**

 **I had a bit of trouble writing the Kage Summit. I rewrote it a couple of times after conclusions with Naruto ending up fighting the Kages but I changed that because writing everything would be difficult afterwards. This is how I ended up writing things.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	21. Chapter 21

Mei had a smile when Naruto appeared before her. She had been waiting for him since the Kage summit. She was happy with how things concluded, she wanted to do nothing but hold him to say that things would be alright and they could have the future they wanted. Everything looked possible now. There had been the fear of people hunting him because of the things that Naruto had done, but the majority of the Kages had spoken, things looked like they were going to turn up nicely. She shook her head, things were going well. There would be no troubles. Konoha, Suna and Kiri would be behind him. They would not allow anything bad to happen to him.

The Godaime Mizukage walked towards Naruto and greeted him with a large smile before holding out both her hands. Naruto had a curious look on his face but she merely embraced him tightly. She didn't let go. She held him tightly for a couple of moments before breaking away. She stared at him with a smile.

"I could use to be welcomed with such greeting," Naruto said with a smile. It was all a bit unfamiliar to him but Naruto didn't hate it. He liked it. It was enjoyable. It was the human contact that he had missed dearly when he had been just a child running loose in the streets of the Hidden Leaf.

"That is if you live here," Mei said before dragging the blond to the sitting room. She sat him on a sofa and faced him, smiling brightly. "Where is your home now? You are not thinking of returning to Konoha are you?" It would be disappointing if he thought that. She wouldn't have those moments she wanted. Things would not be as beautiful as she had hoped.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't think the people there would welcome me. Besides that, I wasn't thinking of returning to the village. I like my life as it is now. I can be anywhere I want without anything tying me down," he said.

Mei stared for a couple of moments before speaking. "What do you say about coming here?"

Naruto looked thoughtful. "I haven't given it much thought. But I will think about it. It would change a couple of things," he said. It would really change how things really work but he could give it a thought. He had been thinking a home in Amegakure with Konan. He was going to be working closely with her. He wanted to avoid having those close contacts with Great Nations because it would complicate things.

"I know but just think about it," Mei said. "So things have gone smoothly. It went better than I had anticipated. You will probably have problems with Iwagakure and the Raikage isn't going to forget anything. But you have us by your back and if things work out well, things could get even better."

It was just truly amazing how things changed because Naruto had been thinking that he would have to play dead and erase his existence from this world for things to calm down when it became apparent that there were plans to kill him but he was here, he didn't have to 'die.' Things looked hopeful for the future and he couldn't complain. It wasn't what he had in mind, but if he could work out things like this and still achieve his dreams, why would he complain?

"I will have to try something with the Raikage," Naruto said before nodding his head. "I will go to Kumogakure and try to talk to him. It isn't likely to change anything but at least if I can stand before him without him lunging at me, it would be progress." He also needed to see how Yugito was doing after everything that happened.

"Is it wise going to him after just after everything that has happened?"

"I don't know but that is what I have decided to do," Naruto said a bit firmly. "If I just stay away, it isn't going to change anything either. I need to at least try something. I'm not concerned about being hated. So, the man can hate me but I don't want him doing something that drags the Elemental Nations into war. If something like that happens, Bijuus will become targets once more and that would put me at the heart of things."

Mei nodded quietly: it was his choice; it was his dream. "What about Iwagakure and Onoki? He seems intent on seeing you die."

Naruto smiled. "I have something working on that and it should work out soon," he said.

He wondered if he should say something about Kurotsuchi. Perhaps he was fooling around a bit too much with her but he certainly didn't love her. He had his reasons for going after her heart. Perhaps he was getting cold and calculative. But this was the path that he has chosen, wasn't it?

"What?" Mei asked in a curious tone, her head tilted to the side. She was watching Naruto carefully.

"For my business to work out without border challenges I had to have the consent of Daimyos. But of course they too must get their cut since I am going to monopolize things, but they still get their cut. I sold some dreams, riches and success to the Feudal Lords, and then Onoki tried to crush it. The Earth Lord won't be pleased with it. Onoki shouldn't even be a Kage and so he is probably going to make some demands to Onoki for him to leave his role as Tsuchikage," Naruto said.

Mei stared at the blond. She then shook her head. "He might not listen. A Daimyo doesn't have the power to remove a Kage," she said. "Perhaps that is just we do things here, but Feudal Lords only wield political power and can only give pressure."

Naruto shrugged. "That pressure is what can work in this situation," the blond said. "I have been making unhanded moves on his granddaughter. When she becomes Tsuchikage, things should work out smoothly."

Mei narrowed her eyes dangerously. "What do you mean unhanded moves?" She asked without emotion.

Naruto smile, it was a very small smile. "I'm thinking I should marry her," he said. When the Mizukage glared at him, he raised both his hands. "It is something that I have been working on since I first went to Iwagakure. Why do you think I continued to visit the village without doing anything? I encountered her couple of times and never did anything. I have been working on this. I realized that to be able to draw an understanding with her, I had to get into her heart. If she has no deeper feeling for me, it is easy for her to dismiss me without blinking. But if she does, she thinks deeply about any issue before making any decision. No doubt, she will prioritize Iwagakure, but this gives me a chance to get along with Iwa. And I can unite Four Great Nations. Isn't that wonderful?"

For a moment, Mei felt like those dreams she had been having would be crushed. She shook her head. He was still here, this changed nothing. "Tell me this changes nothing?"

"It changes nothing," Naruto said in a firm tone. "Perhaps I am getting cold and maybe not fair to Kurotsuchi, but I have to do what I must to change this world. It isn't like I am going to make her miserable anyway."

"Can we pass off this as nothing more than a political marriage?"

"It will be that," Naruto said. "You don't want people thinking that the new Kage has fallen in love with someone who killed hundreds of Iwa's shinobi. No, you don't want that or she becomes questioned as well. It will be a political marriage that will be sponsored by the Earth Daimyo in an attempt to forge better ties to avoid a needless war that will only cause pain and bloodshed. If you can't accept that, then there is something wrong with you."

"This is going to be a really dangerous situation," Mei said. "She isn't planning on killing you, is she? If she gets married to you, she can just wake up in the middle of the night and stab you with a kunai or just give you food that is poisoned."

Naruto looked amused. "I don't think that things would go that far, Mei. Don't think like that either. There is something that I didn't say, but I am still a Jinchuriki. So, poison works slowly. It can kill me, but it works slowly and I will have enough time to rush to Tsunade for her to heal me. If she stabs me, the Kyubi will try to heal me."

Mei tilted her head to the side. "But you said you released the Kyubi…"

"I was planning on release it but it said it was willing to have half of its power remain in me just in case. I won't be using it unless things change. And I won't mention it to anyone. I have released just half of it and the other half remains in me. We don't know what kind of troubles lie ahead for us tomorrow, and I don't want to be caught napping," Naruto explained lightly.

Once more Mei shook her head. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"I actually have a girlfriend…"

Mei stared at Naruto with a smile. "You seem rather famous with women," she said.

"It's not like that. She was my first girlfriend. We were just playing around at first but then things changed you know. I had just told her we should lie low for a little while because things looked dangerous. I didn't want her to be catching the fire. I'm not as careless as to have someone get in trouble for my sins."

"Would that have been the time you came around my place looking miserable?" Mei asked.

Naruto smiled nervously. "I don't recall," he said.

"You are not convincing," Mei said in a flat tone. "Try again, Naruto and be careful with what you say because I might decide to boil you."

"It was around that time yes," Naruto said.

"So what was I? Were you also planning to use the same tricks you were using with Kurotsuchi on me? Has this been all just a game because you needed someone to support you before going back to your girlfriend?"

Naruto stared, trying to see if the Mizukage was serious. Had it been a couple of year ago, he would have been panicking but he was at least experienced with women and he believed that he knew the Mizukage a bit. "Maybe things will be difficult but I think we can pull it off. Our dream isn't going to end."

"I'm still not happy about this," Mei said.

 **Iwagakure**

The bad news didn't look like they were going to end soon. Onoki had returned to the village quite displeased with how the Kage Summit had gone. He hadn't received anything; he hadn't gained anything. But it was apparent that he had earned new enemies within the Great Nations and that was only displeasing. Nothing had gone according to plan and Iwagakure was in a delicate situation that he hadn't foreseen. Perhaps he had been a little reckless in his movements but even the other Kages agreed with him that Naruto was a danger to the Great Nations. However, they didn't appear to be willing to do anything to him or against him. It wasn't what he expected but he was certain that those people had some relationships with the blond; that meant that getting to Naruto would be difficult without inviting the wrath of the other three.

They wouldn't do anything now, but if he did something, they were going to do something and Onoki hated how things had become. He sighed, at least there was no one threatening war with the Hidden Stone. The situation could still be balanced out. He just had to move carefully. He was going to retire soon anyway. But it does seem that he has left his granddaughter with a massive task that would perhaps be a little difficult for her to do. He was still here nevertheless – if she needed his support, he would give it to her.

"You look like you have swallowed something bitter…" Kurotsuchi said as she walked into the office.

Her little treacherous moment with Naruto seemed to flicker between her thoughts when she showed up before her grandfather. Go dammit, she felt guilty that she had been comfortably kissing a man her village viewed as an enemy. Kurotsuchi hated herself for it but she could not deny that the feeling had been good. She felt like she was betraying the anger and contempt her grandfather felt for Naruto. But was it wrong for her to want something? Besides, she had her reasons. It was good for the village but her grandfather didn't want anything to do with that person. It was certainly going to be difficult doing anything with him while her grandfather still breathed.

Well, at least he was still alive. Naruto had said that he would not do anything. If she could save his life, wasn't that something else? If she could make sure that Naruto wasn't around the Hidden Stone with evil intentions, wasn't that a great service to her village? Her feelings aside, the service to her village stood above all things. If Kurotsuchi could secure her village's future, then she would not complain. This guilt, sickness in her, it was nothing – it would go away eventually.

Onoki looked up at Kurotsuchi with a frown. "I have indeed swallowed something bitter," he said.

"The result of the Kage summit," Kurotsuchi said without question. "Well, I had more or less expected things to go in that way with both Konoha and the Hidden Sand. The Mist was surprise but it shouldn't be something that shocks us." Perhaps the Mizukage was the person Naruto had offered himself to. He had said he offered his future to someone. She hadn't come around to ask about that. It hadn't even come to her mind. She had been busy enjoying the sinful pleasures.

"You almost look like you are telling me that I should have expected it," Onoki said staring at his granddaughter.

"Well, what did you expect? I am not going to question your choices, grandfather and I will not do anything as to disagree with what you do. You are the Tsuchikage of this village and regardless of what I think; I believe that you always do what is best for this village. You have always served Iwagakure with everything."

"Sometimes we end up trapping ourselves in bad situations because we are trying to protect what we love. Good intentions can result in bad choices and actions. You must never forget that, Kurotsuchi," Onoki said in a stern tone. "It does appear that we have chewed more than we can handle. I'd always thought that the Kages would work together to get rid of Naruto. But even though the Raikage would rather have Naruto die, he appears to think that it would be pointless to get into war with someone like him when he hasn't even threatened any of us with destruction. Perhaps he will be busy working on a secret plan to get rid of Naruto but this isn't what I expected."

"Sunagakure had willingly allowed Naruto to do what he wanted and before, he had saved the Kazekage from the Akatsuki. I had expected them to back him because regardless of how you look at it, he is their ally. Despite leaving Konoha, he has still been going into the village. If he hadn't done anything against them, the village was no doubt going to try to protect him," Kurotsuchi said. Those had been her thoughts before the Kage summit. "But isn't all that bad," she managed a small smile when she said that.

"What makes you say that?"

"Konoha and Sunagakure will not try to attack us and as things stand, we can always work around the issue to make sure that we at least have healthy relationships with the villages." They had a connection with Naruto and she could use that to her advantage. Besides, it was likely that even Kirigakure had joined their alliance.

Onoki frowned; He couldn't think of making that happen without bowing to pressure and offering apologies as well as compensation. He had yet to say anything to the Wave and he wasn't planning on saying anything in response to their demands. He wouldn't do anything for now. He had to deal with the immediate threat. "I wond-"

A shinobi walked into the office in a hurry and bowed his head before addressing the Sandaime Tsuchikage. "Tsuchikage-sama, the Feudal Lord is here," the man said.

Onoki nearly stood up. This was a visit he had not been expecting. At a time like this, the Feudal Lord was necessary, but in war, they were nothing. Iwagakure wasn't at war. He had to consider things. As things were, the Daimyo was a powerful person and that bothered him. "Show him the way," he said with a deep frown.

There was silence for a couple of minutes until the Earth Daimyo walked into the office in all his majesty. Kurotsuchi greeted the old man respectfully and he responded in kind before turning his fierce gaze towards Onoki. The Sandaime Tsuchikage retuned the look before speaking. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Agent matters brought me to this village," the Daimyo said calmly.

"What matters?"

"Your recent actions, of course," the Daimyo said in a matter of fact. "You had your shinobi charge into the Wave. I was honestly baffled when I heard the report and yet glad when I heard they were destroyed. Make no mistake, I want this country to prosper but you actions are not helping things. Naruto came to us with a proposal that has been agreed upon by the other Feudal Lords. It will benefit this country wonderfully and yet you wanted to destroy that. I wonder if you still have any vision for tomorrow, Onoki – Because if you could see tomorrow, you would have never sent your shinobi to the Wave. You would have just let things be."

Onoki's frown deepened hearing those words. "Why are you here?"

"You are not responding to my concerns or even if you are going to do anything regarding the Wave. You were in the wrong, are you not going to even admit that?"

"I will not respond to anything until I learn what you want."

The Daimyo shook his head. "You have really become stubborn that it is now sad, Onoki. What ever happened to you? Is it age perhaps?" The man asked calmly. "I am here to talk to this village's council and I came to let you know that I will be withdrawing the support of the Earth Country from this village until you retire and allow someone who isn't cynical take over the village. Whether this village takes damage over the situation depends on you. If you quit smoothly, there will be no damage, if you don't, there will be trouble. With current events, I am sure you need the support you can get."

Onoki glared heatedly at the Daimyo. "Who put you up to this?"

"No one," the Daimyo said as he stood up. "You have your choice, Onoki. I am only thinking about the future of this village and my country. Reflect on your actions and you will realize that you are no longer fit to lead this village. You are simply forcing things that shouldn't be forced and eventually, it will burst." He slowly walked away after saying those words.

Kurotsuchi was almost certain that Naruto had something to do with this. But she didn't want to think about it. If her grandfather was quitting, she would happily take over him and she would do everything she could to protect this village – there was no question there. But it depended on what her grandfather was willing to do. "What now?" She asked curiously.

"What do you think?" Onoki glared at his granddaughter.

 **Amegakure no Sato**

The Hidden Rain, the village in which his beloved sensei had met his end. It was in this land that he had come with the goal of destroying the Akatsuki and getting his vengeance. He wasn't the type to be thinking about revenge. But to be honest with himself, his anger had truly driven him to this village at a time he would have not come. He would have waited a bit while killing other members of the Akatsuki but because Jiraiya had been killed while in this village, he had been forced to come here. It hadn't been the wrong choice to come here, he had ended up gaining something valuable – the Rinnegan and he had a powerful ally in the name of Konan. She was Amegakure's angel – the god had decided to leave the village to look for other things in the afterlife.

It wasn't raining like last time and the streets were busy with people of all kinds. This time around, you could see children walking around. Perhaps things had changed for the better. Certainly, without Nagato or the Akatsuki's ideals, this village was seeing peace. There was no need for it to continuously rain because of enemies. It was seeing more life and the people could enjoy the view of the other side. Konan had said that the once crying village had finally stopped crying. Perhaps he was enjoying the peace here. As long as the troubles of the Great Five Nations didn't come here, this village would be at peace – there would be no trouble.

Naruto was happy knowing that. Perhaps when he does finally meet Nagato in the other life, the man wasn't going to look at him funny for failing to bring peace. Well, what was happening here wasn't the result of his actions. It was certainly something that Nagato and Konan had built. Naruto did hope that things would eventually turn up in the elemental nations.

Naruto looked through the streets for a couple of more minutes before heading towards the tallest tower. He found Konan sitting by the balcony, overlooking the streets. Naruto joined her and they settled in comfortable silence. "The atmosphere is certainly different, isn't it?" He finally asked.

Konan nodded. This was indeed something Yahiko would have really liked seeing. She hoped that he was smiling if he could see just how this village has turned around. She did worry though. With the trains coming into this place, there was a chance of more enemies coming here. She didn't want that. The village would be open because of the trains and the people of Amegakure would see the sight of other villages. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. With the Akatsuki, it had been important to keep things hidden away because they had many enemies.

"But this atmosphere can still change if there is war amongst the great nations," Konan said. She had seen it before and she was likely going to see it again – she hoped not. But when these nations fight, the smaller villages were the ones who suffered from collateral damages. Their lands were used as battlegrounds and it was their people who suffered.

Naruto could not disagree with that – he had already seen it from Nagato. "Hopefully nothing bad will happen," he said.

"How did things go with the Kage Summit?"

Naruto smiled. "Better," he said. "I won't have a problem of being hunted by the great nations. That eases up some tensions and ensures that I don't do anything that brings chaos." He said.

Konan turned towards him with a raised eye brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, if things could not have settled with me being here, I would have been forced to wear the mask of the devil and that means really becoming 'evil.' It would have been war with just one man. But at least you wouldn't have been caught in the crossfire. The Great Nations would have had more trouble trying to protect themselves from me," he said.

Konan shook her head. She really didn't want to know what he would have been doing but obviously, it would have been something dangerous. He certainly had the power and now he had the power of all Bijuus, who could stop him with all that power? "If things worked out, what happened?"

"Kirigakure, Konoha and the Sand have entered into an alliance. I also have great relationships with the three nations. If things work out, they become a powerful force that would only take Kumo and Iwagakure challenging to break it. It is unlikely anyway. I have been setting up things on my part, so we should soon be working hard to take this world towards the path of peace," Naruto said.

"What of the other two?" Konan asked.

"The Feudal Lord of the Earth country should be putting pressure on Onoki to resign from his position as Tsuchikage. Things in some parts have worsened because of him," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "If Onoki is removed from the picture, then we have Iwagakure. Well, I had been thinking of just killing him but the result would have been a negative for me," he said.

"Am I missing something?"

Naruto nodded with a smile. "I have been working on Onoki's granddaughter. When Onoki resigns, she becomes Yondaime Tsuchikage. I already have a relationship with her, so sooner or later, she will also join the alliance with the other three. I just hope I don't do something that screws it up anyway."

"What would you do?"

"Something to her grandfather," Naruto said. "I wanted them to pay for what they tried to do in the Wave Country. But it does appear that they are not going to admit anything soon. Well, as long as there was no harm done, I can't complain much. Besides, if I work things right with Kurotsuchi, she would admit that her grandfather was wrong."

"If she doesn't?"

"It doesn't matter," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "As long as she is able to get into an understanding with me and we have close ties, I can't complain much. The issue is trying to forge an understanding. We can't always agree on everything but I hope that we will at least be able to agree on some fundamental issues. If we cannot agree, there is no point on continuing with things because they won't achieve anything."

"Then I look forward to the future," Konan said.

"As do I, dear," Naruto said in a serious tone. "But it does appear that Zetsu will become a problem. I don't know where to find him but I think I have a way to handle him. Nevertheless, given the situation, he has avoided confronting me head on in battle. I think there is a reason for that."

"He was never the one for fighting even in the Akatsuki. His main duty was gathering Intelligence and he was rather good at it," Konan said. "What is he planning to do?"

"Obito's dream, most probably. It might not even be Obito's dream but Zetsu's. When he spoke to me, I didn't consider him troubling, but he did mention that he wanted the Rinnegan. He wants the doujutsu and the Bijuus to revive the Jubi. There is a bigger goal after that, but I won't let something like that happen."

"In terms of power, he isn't that much of a threat," Konan said. "But I assume he is working by manipulating things."

Naruto nodded. "I think so," he said. "If he appears before me, I will handle him. But in the meantime, he has threatened the Great Nations with a fight. They refused to listen to him when he made some demands. I am more concerned with what he plans on doing but I will keep watch to ensure that nothing goes out of control."

"If there is anything needed, I am here," Konan said.

"I know," Naruto responded with a smile. "And I will call you when I do need you. Well, with the trains having started picking up routes, I will need you. This is the harder part of things and we will have to tread carefully or things will blow up."

 **Konohagakure**

The Great Nations were certainly comfortable with their power. But of course, Naruto had disturbed that power balance because of his power. Zetsu had no concern for this. He didn't care about it. He just wanted Naruto to be brought to him. He didn't have the power to do it by himself but the Hidden Villages could do it for him. If they didn't want to do it, Zetsu could force them to do it. He would not allow the dream to be reunited with his mother to be stopped by a mere brat who has not lived for more than thirty years. Naruto was not Madara. He could not be compared to Madara but yet the Uzumaki was the greatest threat he was facing now.

He had managed to work out things even when Hagoromo was still alive. But now all plans had been brought to a halt when Naruto decided to grow a spine. It had been disappointing. But Zetsu would not give up. He had a long life ahead of him. He also had to worry about Sasuke. Both those two would die. Naruto was indeed going to die. If he could not force things, then he could bide his time. He was patient. And things were much simpler now with Naruto having gathered all the Bijuus. If Naruto died, Zetsu could still work. He could still work even in a simpler role.

And he could use Naruto's body as a catalyst. The blond may not have Uchiha genes but he was still Uzumaki. He still had enough chakra and possessed the Rinnegan. Perhaps he even used it effectively because he was a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi.

But before Zetsu does disappear; he was going to give these people a present. It was Konoha that mattered the most. This village - Naruto's former home. He may have abandoned it but it was still the village that could have the loudest reaction to the blonde's existence. Whatever he did, these people were going to blame him. They were going to hate him for the rest of his life. He was to blame. It was his fault that such things were going to happen in this village.

 **Village Gates**

Izumo was honestly surprised seeing Sasuke and Kakashi walk into the village. It shouldn't be happening; the Uchiha had yet to even return to the village. He was still someone who had abandoned Konoha. There were rumors that he was here when the hospital was blown up but he was still not within the village. Had Kakashi gone out to fetch the Uchiha? Sakura would be the one dancing at this return of the Uchiha. Still, he hadn't been told anything about the Uchiha's return or of Kakashi's mission to get the Uchiha to return. By the looks of things, he had returned willingly.

"This isn't a genjutsu, right?" Kotetsu said to his partner at the village gates.

Izumo shook his head. "This is definitely reality," he said in a measured tone. "Strange things occur. But I'm sure it is going to be a party tonight," he said while smiling. The villagers would be happy to know their beloved last Uchiha had returned. The thought didn't make him smile, but what could he say about it? He was just a gate guard, a mere Chunin.

"It would be feast with Naruto around," Kotetsu said with a smile, just thinking about the old days the blond used to roam through the streets of the Hidden Leaf. Those beautiful days he saw Anbu chasing after Naruto and Iruka yelling things to the blond – those good old days.

"A pity he isn't around," Izumo said with a frown on his lips. "If Sasuke has returned, do you think he too will return?"

Naruto's return? It was unlikely but with everything that has been happening around the Elemental Nations you could never know what was going to happen. It didn't look like the blond was going to return any time soon though. But at least he was not an enemy of Konoha. "I don't know," Kotetsu said.

"Kakashi," Izumo started with a smile. "I didn't know you'd gone out," he said.

"Left midnight," Kakashi responded lazily as he walked towards Izumo, eye smiling. "Had information about this one," he said added.

"I'm sure Tsunade-sama is waiting for you," Kotetsu said, standing just closer to the Jonin.

Kakashi nodded; he was just inches away from Izumo. In the blink of an eye, a kunai was on his hand. Izumo just looked curiously but before he could ask what was happening, the kunai was plunged into the side of his neck, stabbing deeply that he started bleeding heavily. With eyes wide, he tried to stop the bleeding while gasping for air.

"What the hell is happening?" Kotetsu asked, while jumping backwards.

His eyes only widened in shock when Kakashi placed an explosive tag on Izumo's forehead. It didn't take a minute before the tag exploded into flames, along with Izumo. This could not be Kakashi right? No, this person did feel like the Jonin. But there was still no way the Jonin would just mercilessly kill one of Konoha's shinobi like that. Yet, it was happening. Before he could flee, Kotetsu felt a hand on his shoulder. He nearly jumped when he saw Kakashi, standing behind him.

"Yoh," the Jonin greeted despite the situation. "That is an imposter," he said in a stern tone.

Kakashi had a deep frown on his lips. An imposter yes, but he could only tell because he knew he was the real person. The problem was that no one could tell the difference because the chakra signature felt the same. Even he could not tell the difference. Who could do something like this? This was an attack on the Hidden Leaf. This could not simply be a clone. "I don't know who you are but you are not going to get out of this alive," the Jonin said in a firm tone, while his right hand sparkled with electricity.

Before he could even move, there was an explosion of lightning behind the fake. Sasuke twisted around swiftly while swinging his sword. The blade cut through the fake from the right shoulder, closer to the neck, going downwards. The slash cut cleanly, cutting the fake in half. As he did so, the fake turned into a white form, the form of Kakashi being undone.

Kakashi moved in speed and stabbed his Chidori right through the chest of 'Sasuke.' There was no bleeding, just another clone that lost its form when Kakashi stabbed it. The Jonin frowned deeply. Even with the Sasuke clone, he could not tell it was not him just by looking at him.

"It's good to see you, Sasuke," Kakashi said with an eye smile. "Mind explaining to me what is happening here?"

Sasuke's team landed behind him. It didn't even take long for a squad of Anbu to surround them but Sasuke didn't even look concerned. "They call themselves White Zetsu Clones… from Orochimaru's information, they have the ability to steal your chakra and use it for themselves. You can't tell the difference because they do possess your chakra. There are probably more of them in the village and you can't tell them apart from the real ones…" Karin explained lightly.

"We came here to deal with it and we thought that Black Zetsu would make an appearance," Sasuke responded calmly.

"You have been looking for him?" Kakashi was surprised. "Are you certain that there are more of them in the village, walking around as they did here?"

"Not quite, but it is a big possibility and you cannot disregard it," Sasuke responded calmly. "And the information we received was legit."

Kakashi took a grim look on his face. There was no big attack occurring now, but if there were more of those looking like the originals and feeling like the originals, it was going to be chaos. If word got out, people would start doubting each other and many would start killing each other – even the real people would be killed. It was a cruel situation. And there didn't appear to be any way to deal with it or escape it.

The Anbu stepped in before Kakashi could say anything. "You'll have to come with us to see the Hokage, Uchiha," one of them said in a hardened tone.

"There is no need for hostility," Kakashi eased in with a wave of his right hand. "I will go with them. I'm sure Sasuke won't be difficult. He does appear to have information we could use… right, Sasuke?" the Jonin gave the Uchiha a stare.

Sasuke returned the stare before nodding.

 **Hokage Office**

Tsunade was not a happy person, not after hearing what Kakashi had to say. "That bastard!" She cursed loudly. "This is because we refused to hand over, Naruto isn't it?"

Kakashi nodded his head. There was no other reason that Zetsu would do something like this. This was because he wanted to force the shinobi nations to bring Naruto to him so that he could achieve whatever it was that he wanted to achieve. There was also a double meaning in the attack; Naruto was going to be blamed for this threat that poses on for the Leaf.

"No doubt," Kakashi said with a nod.

Tsunade seethed silently for a couple of moments. How did this even happen without her knowing about it? This was a dangerous situation and they really had to have a handle over it before there was chaos in the village. If she could not solve things, there was a chance that there was going to be bloodshed in the village. She turned towards Sasuke. "What else do you know?" She demanded. She didn't care that the Uchiha had suddenly just decided to show up in the village. She was most concerned about the safety of the village and the villagers.

"Nothing much," Sasuke said. "We just received a tip from one of Naruto's people who spotted the underground movement."

"Underground?" Tsunade asked with a frown on her lips.

Sasuke shrugged. "I didn't ask the details… they just told me that Black Zetsu was on the move," he said.

Tsunade stared for a long minute before speaking. "We can't allow the village to be on lockdown and we can't take civilians into safety places because one of those clones might be within them and that would be disastrous. If we make too much movement, they will notice," she said. "The villagers will notice."

"What will be done then?"

"The Anbu will be watching over the village, all of them and we will have the Inuzuka move around to try to sniff them out. But no one has to be killed. If you see two people of the same, we apprehend them both before we discover which the real is and which is fake."

"It will be too late by then," a clone of Zetsu suddenly said after appearing from the ceiling. "By the end of the day, this whole village will know the situation. Word has already started to spread and people will be distrustful of everyone. People will be killing each other. It will-"

A burst of lightning hit the clone before it could finish speaking. The lightning came from Sasuke who didn't appear too pleased to see the clone.

 **Later that night**

The streets were burning, the Anbu were flying all over the village along with shinobi to try to gather the situation. From the Hokage Monument, you could see the pillars of smoke, the screams, the cries – it was like a slaughter house. It was a mighty fall of the Great Hidden Leaf village. Who could have thought that this village would be brought to this state? They had waited for midnight before attacking. A cowardly attack that was done to great effect. Naruto could sense the fear within the village, and yet despite the situation, there was no rush for him to jump into the fray to try to work out the situation. He had already worked out what was happening and could work out things.

But, these were the people who tormented him. This was happening to a village that had made him miserable. Naruto did not have that hatred that he would feel the need to see them suffer, but he still did not feel like helping them. Yet he did know, Zetsu had done this because of his actions. He would be blamed. Naruto told himself, even if he does end up giving a helping hand, it would not be because he wanted to protect Konoha – he just wanted to stop Zetsu. Perhaps that evil tree was even around and they would manage to hang it and burn it alive.

He shook his head; his thoughts were becoming darker. Perhaps this was the true side of a person who was willing to commit mass murders. No, he was still willing to do it if things did not work out as planned. If someone manages to ruin all things, Naruto could still walk that bloody path. It would be painful, but he was still willing to walk it. He was willing to do anything for his dream.

Shaking his head, Naruto jumped down towards the village. The air that hit him was cold, but the village was in flames. Naruto landed gracefully and walked for a couple of moments before coming to a halt in the middle of the streets. He could sense multiple chakra signatures moving around. The dread. The fear. The murderous killing intent. Well, this village was infamous for the latter – at least in his world.

"So you finally decided to come here," Sasuke said narrowed eyes, walking towards him from behind.

Naruto glanced at the Uchiha for a moment before staring into the dark sky. He smiled. "Black Zetsu is quite the sadist. To plan for such an attack when the moon is hidden," he shook his head.

"You aren't doing anything to help and this is your fault," Sasuke said in a cold tone. "This is happening because you chose to take the Bijuus…"

Naruto glanced at Sasuke before slowly turning around. He tilted his head to the side and then held out his right hand. Sasuke was suddenly pulled towards the palm of his right hand before being grabbed by the throat.

"I can sense you," Naruto said. "Your unhidden dark emotions towards me. Besides, I know Sasuke pretty well…" he said while crushing the clones throat and absorbing the chakra. Once done, he dropped the dry clone to the ground and turned towards the building on his right.

He disappeared in the blink of an eye and landed atop of the building. He stood in front of the real Sasuke with an expressionless mask on his face. "Were you waiting for me to be killed before making a move?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I wasn't even sure if you were the original," he responded indifferently. "But I would not have complained if you fell for it…"

Naruto just shook his head. Sasuke was dead serious in his words. Well, it was not like there was any love lost between then. Naruto didn't care what Sasuke was doing – if the Uchiha stood in his way, he would be killed. Naruto was just most concerned about doing his things. Yet, it was perhaps a surprise to see the Uchiha in this village. He was here, fighting. Itachi would no doubt be proud. What would the Sandaime even say seeing the village in this state? Or his sensei? Jiraiya would have summoned the Toads and do everything possible to get things in order. He would not have been standing here with indifference as he was.

"This is a rather cruel situation," Naruto said, turning away from Sasuke. He glanced at the streets once more.

Sasuke was not going to be the one to point out Naruto's indifference to the situation despite calling it cruel. He too had some indifference. "If it was cruel, you wouldn't even be just standing here."

Naruto shrugged. "I don't particularly care for the villagers of this village," he then smiled bitterly. "Not so much of the peace I preach. Then again, I have not claimed to be peaceful myself. If I did, I must have been sarcastic about it."

"You should leave if you did not come here to help, Naruto," Sasuke said. "But I figure if people know more about it, they'd only grow to hate more of you. I'm sure you don't want that… with what you are planning at least."

Naruto shrugged. "Konoha is not the center of the world, so I can do what I want even when this village loathes my existence," the blond said carelessly. "But I guess I should help out. It will do well for my name in the other villages who look up to me." He said smiling. "Taju Kage Bunshin on Jutsu."

A thousand of Kage Bunshins appeared in a puff of smoke. The power of the Kyubi was not visible but you could see it in the eyes of the clones that they were using the Kyubi's chakra. "You know what to do," he said to the clones.

"Yes Sir!" They all disappeared into different directions.

Naruto said nothing further to Sasuke. He just put his hands inside his pockets and then jumped to the next building. He watched things for a minute before vanishing out of sight. When he appeared atop of the Hokage Tower, he found Tsunade surrounded by a squad of Anbu, a pillar of chakra visible around her body. It was an impressive amount of chakra, he mused. And she was using it to help with the healing process by Katsuyu to be able to limit causalities.

The Anbu did not move – they kept at their guard. But it was clear. One wrong move and they would pounce. Naruto just rounded them and stopped at the edge. He looked down at the streets with an expressionless mask.

This was what happened in this world of shinobi. The person responsible for this was not human. Zetsu did not even qualify to be called a person. That tree wanted chaos and destruction. People were suffering. They were only going to learn to hate in their pain. No, Naruto shook his head. These people already know hatred. He had experienced it first-hand. But the mood could still change. Yes, things could change. In a couple of days, things would be back to normal. Those crying for their loved ones would cry and learn to live with the loss. Life continued even after those around you die.

"It should be over soon," Naruto said to Tsunade in a quiet tone.

Tsunade did not miss the lack of emotion in Naruto's tone. But she was still glad that he had not ignored them. She was happy that he had come in the time of need. Despite everything, he was still her Naruto. "But the loss will have been felt."

"In such a situation, you can only limit the damage. Because we are men, we have limits. Even when we want to protect everything, we do end up coming short." Naruto said in a measured tone. "What brings death to a shinobi is the attempt to protect everything and everyone."

"Not everyone can live with the knowledge that they cannot protect everything they value," Tsunade responded. "If people accepted those thoughts, some people would choose to stop caring for certain things and only carry the load they can protect."

"Sometimes you fail to even protect your own life," Naruto said.

Tsunade frowned deeply; those who had been Jiraiya's worries regrets. He had failed to protect Minato. He had failed to protect the Sandaime and he had failed to stop Naruto from leaving Konoha. She had failed on her part but she had blamed Konoha for it. "When did you become so realistic?"

"When I grew," Naruto said. "And looking at this situation makes you realize certain things. Perhaps the kind of world Jiraiya desired cannot be achieved. We cannot all understand each other. There will always be conflicts but it is how we react and solve them that must change."

"What does that have to do with what you have done or what is happening here?" Tsunade demanded in a hardened tone.

What did that have to with what he has done since he left Konoha? Specifically? Nothing. But the general idea was peace and Naruto wanted peace. There was no peace in what was happening in this village. It was just chaos. The lack of a moral fiber. It was the case with all shinobi, wasn't it? "I'm just looking at things, and I am thinking, where is the peace? Is it really even possible to achieve peace? What is peace anyway?"

"You spent time with Jiraiya and abandoned everything saying you wanted peace, shouldn't you have al the answers?" Tsunade asked in a bitter tone, her focus no longer on her distribution of chakra but on the person standing in front of her.

Naruto glanced at the Godaime Hokage for a moment; she was angry. She was bitter. He looked back at the streets and understood. Nothing ever worked according to plan in this world but it did not mean you had to give up on those dreams you have. The nature of men was a problem but people could be educated to live differently. One just had to find a way to go about things. Naruto was going to change things. He was going to change the shinobi world. And he would not die trying. He would die once he has changed this cursed world.

"I have not lived as many years as you have but I have understood that you never stop learning. You never stop growing. There is always something to refine, something new to learn." Naruto said in a slow tone. "I am learning things even today. But I was not wrong in leaving this village. This chaos only reinforces my desire."

"Congratulations on finding something to motivate you," Tsunade said sarcastically.

Once more, Naruto glanced at the blonde Hokage before shaking his head. "Once I have ascertained that there is no more danger, my clones will disappear."

"Are you leaving?"

Naruto did not respond to the question; he just disappeared from view. A couple of seconds later, he was hopping through the buildings. It took a minute but he finally reached his former home. The place he'd spent so many miserable nights alone. The Sandaime had been cruel in hiding his parents from him. No one had the right to rob a child the legacy of his parents. But it had happened. And it was the past. This cold place was his past. For now, he had yet to gain a new home except for the ship located in the ocean where he did not want men to reach.

Naruto walked towards his sofa. It was dusty. The furniture was worn out. He did not mind though. He simply sat down and closed his eyes.

"Passing sentiments?" Kurama asked Naruto.

Naruto did not offer an immediate response. He allowed himself to be absorbed in his thoughts before finally responding. "Perhaps," he said quietly. "It is disappointing that Black Zetsu has not appeared."

"He probably knows you are not going to let him leave as you did last time around," Kurama said. "You have been preparing for it."

"A lot of people will be preparing for his death now," Naruto said. "I doubt Konoha was the only village attacked…" he paused. "We will see the damage once we get to the Emperor's Palace."

 **The Following Morning**

There was a bit of calmness around the village, but you could see the anger, the pain within then villagers – they were still reeling over what happened the night before. It was understandable but Naruto had not much concern over it. Perhaps it was because of his mixed feelings when it came to the Hidden Leaf. He shook his head; his feelings were not mixed. He was certain. But it was at least good the most danger had been stopped. Black Zetsu would have won. He would have succeeded in bringing instability around the village and perhaps to other nations. Naruto Uzumaki was still a problem. He did not need another problem.

After watching the streets for a couple of moments, Naruto disappeared off to the grave site and stood before where Jiraiya was buried – his idealistic sensei. There was so much happening in this world, in his life, but Naruto could not deny that this man had been a big part of his life. There were so many things that went wrong for him, although he had his faults, Jiraiya had still taught him some valuable life lessons and he would not forget them.

Naruto stood there motionlessly for about 25 minutes before being joined by Kakashi. He was at least glad it was not Sasuke who had come here. No, he didn't sense the Uchiha's presence. It was likely that he had disappeared last night after discovering that Black Zetsu would not make an appearance. He had come here for this reason as well, but he had been disappointed.

"I'd always thought something was wrong with you when you spent time here," Naruto said to the Jonin in a quiet tone. "Perhaps some come here for regrets – as you do. But there are times you just want to reminisce the good old days one spent with the dead."

"You can't forget the past," Kakashi responded after a couple of moments of silence.

"But you can't let it stop you from moving on with your life. Too much time we spend thinking about the past that our minds are still living in the past while our bodies move automatically presently," Naruto stated in a measured tone.

Kakashi glanced at Naruto for a moment before speaking. "You are no longer the same as you were back then. Perhaps my regret is that I could not offer you anything in growth."

"We don't always succeed in everything," Naruto said calmly. "I wonder where my failures will be. I have come to realize that as much as we'd like, we can't do everything we can in the way we want. There will be some failures…" he shook his head and asked. "Tsunade looking for me?"

Kakashi nodded. "I still didn't think that you'd come here though. But your presence here still helped us greatly. Things would not have worked out accordingly had you not been here. Konoha thanks you for it."

Naruto just shrugged. He'd not come here for this. He had not come here to save Konoha. The mission had been to stop Zetsu and to see if he could find the plant and kill him. He'd ended up in failure. He had not succeeded. Zetsu was still out there. He was still breathing. The situation was not solved.

 **End of chapter**

 **I had difficulty in putting this one together. There were times I wrote some scenes and deleted them again because I just could not fit them into what I wanted. In any case, i hope the chapter wasn't a bore.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


	22. Chapter 22

Hope

Naruto stared through the window that Jiraiya once loved to sit on whenever he was in the office of the Hokage. Twice the perverted sensei of his had been approached to take this mantle of Hokage and twice he rejected it. Jiraiya had always felt that he was not worthy of many things because of his failures in the past. Perhaps because he had failed so much, he had decided to take things far in going to Amegakure even though he had been warned against going. Yet, that was the past that occurred, and Naruto could not change it. He could have brought him back to life, but he did not. It was not in him to disturb a man who chose his own fate.

Things could have been different though. He could have been different but this was the path that he chose. But because he chose this path, he was here. He had trained so much and prepared to kill shinobi, to be called a murderer. Naruto was still prepared for it all. But he had chosen to give this world a chance. Perhaps it was for the sake of his conscious. If he had gone straight into the battle formation he had chosen, it may have killed him from the inside.

He turned toward his left; Tsunade was trying her best not to stare at him. How quickly things change in this world. Perhaps if he had not left this village, he would have been closer to his dream of becoming Hokage. He had the power to challenge his father for the honors of being Konoha's greatest Kage. Perhaps in another world. This shinobi world had chosen for him, a different path than he had once dreamt. Naivety had been the cause at that age, but he understood how the world operated now.

"Maybe in a year or two, I would have been finally walking on my dream of becoming Hokage," he said in a faraway tone.

"It is still possible," Shikamaru, staring at Naruto's back.

The blond eyed the Nara before looking outside once more. The Nara was not the only other person in the room, Kakashi was also present. "Perhaps," Naruto said. "But I have no interest in working on that path. Perhaps it does represent a greater possibility for my path given the position I am in. My dream could work…"

"But?" Tsunade stared at him. "I don't see why you can't come back. You were here, helping the village. The civilians know that. In our time of need, you were here to help us… Ai is no longer even thinking about killing you. Things are safe now. Why can't you dream again?"

"I am dreaming; it is just not a dream you'd like. To be honest, I have no regrets over my choice to leave Konoha and I don't intend on returning. I am content with how things are…" There was just no way he was going to return to this village. He had already set up things for his return. He didn't care if things failed, he would be waiting. He would return to this world and become a demon that people would fear. He had given them a chance, if they don't use it, there would be death in the shinobi world.

"And yet you are here. You were here in the time of need." Kakashi said.

"Don't misunderstand my intentions. I'm afraid that the years have not left me without some scars and changes. I am not the same person I was back then. I don't care about a lot of things. Things could be burnt in this village and I would not have felt anything, but I did come here because the person who was behind the chaos is my target," Naruto explained lightly.

"If that was the case, you could have just looked for what you were looking for without offering help," Shikamaru said. "Maybe you are right, you don't care anymore. But I don't think your actions that night were simply because you were just looking for a certain person. You cannot forget the good memories you shared in this village, that this was once your home."

Naruto eyed Shikamaru once more; he smiled. "You have always been smarter, Shikamaru. I hope for your sake and the sake of this shinobi world, you use that mind of yours to achieve greater things," he said. "I'm afraid not all memories have been pleasant. There are unpleasant memories that make me angry at times. My childhood was rather unpleasant, just thinking about it really makes it even more worth the effort to leave this village.

"But I have not come here to talk about any possible return. It is not going to happen. If things don't go as planned, you may come to hate me; the shinobi world will come to hate me. But for now, things are stable. I still have all the Bijuus and they will not be used as weapons. Well, hopefully, nobody thinks of hunting them down anyway. If one starts, everyone will follow and it will be chaos. For now, danger has been averted."

"You must be pleased with yourself," Tsunade said with a stare.

"Not at all," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "This is really just the beginning. Depending on how things go from now here, there will be more of me in the near future," he said with a sad smile.

Shikamaru frowned seeing that smile. He had a bad feeling about things. Naruto had worked hard to free the Bijuus, but his main goal was never to simply free the Bijuus. He had spoken about peace and greater cooperation with the Great Nations as well as the small nations. What did he even mean that they may come to hate him? Things looked like they could not go wrong as things stood, but what if something went wrong and the shinobi world got tangled in chaos, how would Naruto react to it?

How was he even planning on achieving his grand dream? There was nothing stopping him from returning to Konoha now. The other Kages seemed share something with him. Onoki was the one who had serious doubts, but that was just him and with developments in Iwa, things could change for the better. Yet, Naruto seemed to be taking actions with the future in mind. What was he planning?

"You said you didn't come here to talk about a possible return…" Shikamaru said.

Naruto nodded. "Maybe you already know about it but over the past years I have been working around the Feudal Lords of the small countries, and I have also managed to strike a connection with the Lords of the Great Nations. That has been mainly because of my interests in the Uzumaki Company. I see no need to change its name anyway. Now that there will not be fights, the greater plan of the company will finally come to life. With what I have negotiated with the Feudal Lords of the small countries, the company controls the trade borders. That simply means nothing moves through the borders of any country to any other nation without us knowing because all Great Five Nations are bordered by the small countries.

"That is not all, but the trains we have been building in the Wave will finally start moving. We will connect all countries and change transportation methods in this world. The Feudal Lords saw an opportunity in this venture and decided to agree with it. We will manage trade borders, working with different merchants, collecting taxes for countries while running our transportation company. This world is not perfect, we expect dangers. For trains moving within the Fire Country, we would like to have at least five shinobi in each for safety purposes. There will also be train stations around the country, shinobi have to protect them, and the people within them. My agreement with the Fire Lord was that Leaf shinobi would be requested for such missions."

It would be good business for the Leaf. Shinobi would no longer depend on fighting to earn their money, but guarding the trains, the people on the trains, they would be able to make a living. Not only that, but with methods of transportation easier, even civilians who normally don't travel because of fear would not be able to travel. Tsunade could understand why the Feudal Lords would agree to this. For their countries, it made sense. "Are the Feudal Lords getting a cut?"

"Taxes," Naruto said.

"Trade and Transportation, why does it look like you will have monopoly over those things. You will also heavily influence things beyond what a merchant would normally be able to do. With the trains, you could hold the shinobi world at ransom and controlling trade borders means you decide what goes in where and when. You could starve a nation by ensuring that nothing gets in…" Shikamaru said.

"I sense a far sinister motive here," Tsunade said.

Naruto just smiled. "I came to let you know that this will be happening. And if there is going to be problem, we can solve it now before my people come here to sign paperwork and work with people from this village to build rail tracks, and stations."

"We have already agreed to having the trains built here and working in this village," Tsunade said. "But it is the hidden motives in your company that makes me feel uneasy. You are planning something. You are also not mentioning that you control the Emperor's Palace. Intel from that place is always spot on. You control information, you control people, and you know how people will react and when people will react. You control things from the shadows."

"Information is available to anyone who requests if for a price," Naruto simply said. "Of course we have arrangements with those who don't want information about them to be released. We withhold that information, for a price."

"I see where the money to build all these that you want to build will be coming from," Shikamaru said.

Naruto did not respond to Shikamaru's statement. "It appears that there won't be any problems. We look forward to working with you people. But I must leave. I have to make arrangements as this with other nations before we begin working." He said turning away from the window. "If you don't mind, I would like to pass my sentiments before departing."

"Can I walk you out…" Shikamaru was already on his feet as he spoke.

Naruto did not offer a response to the Nara. He just walked out of the office with the black haired following him from behind. "What can I do for you, Shikamaru?"

"I didn't say anything in there because I didn't want to worry them. Although Hokage-sama suspects something is up, I think it is much worse than she thinks," the Nara said. "I also don't think you have any plans to use the company and its influence to run things from the shadows. You won't be running it after all, isn't it? You create a structure and have someone run it. I assume it is more or less the same with the emperor's palace. You created it, placed a good structure and a system that works in place. And you step away from it.

"Your goal is peace. This could help with stabilizing the borders between the countries. With the trains connecting the nations, there is a chance for greater cooperation between the nations. When something goes wrong, who hears it first? You control transport, you will hear everything happening, you control trade, and you will hear everything. All information will be centralized at the emperor's palace. If Konoha is planning on something 'bad' you are the first to hear about it and you will be able to do something about it, with your influence. Your trains will be running through our streets and you could have a chance to halt food supplies from getting in the village.

"If that was all it was, there would be no reason for you not to come back here. In fact, if you came back here, and became Hokage, your influence would even be greater. But influence isn't what you want. Being a Kage would restrict your movements, and actions. I think that is why you won't even be leading the company. You said if things don't go as planned, we could end up hating you. What I have said so far is what you plan. But if something goes wrong, like nation's feud and the company is unable to prevent it. If things go as far as to the point where the company is even threatened, you will step in. if the company is threatened, because of its influence, whoever threatens it will face many enemies. If it is one of the great five nations, there could be war."

"Admirable," Naruto said. "You are there but not quite there. We don't necessarily collect information to use it for our advantage. The structure we have is based on rules, that cannot be broken, with the help of Fuinjutsu of course. If we heard that you were planning something, we would not necessarily do something about it. We would not even warn the other party because it is not our function. We would not even leak the information. We would lose business if we did that.

"You are correct to say that I don't run the emperor's palace. I created laws that govern things. The company, I created the structure and put someone in charge of it. I will be disappearing from this world for a little while longer playing the role of an observer. Maybe I will play dead. I want to see, what will happen when Naruto is dead? Will my company operate; will the Great Five hold themselves and not go after Bijuus?" He paused for a moment before gave Shikamaru a look. "You are not going to tell, are you? If you are, I can help you forget and put trigger so that you know when things are bad, that we had this conversation."

"I would rather you not…"

Naruto's smile dropped. "I think it would be better that way," he said. "Don't worry, if things go right, it won't matter. But if they go wrong, you will remember this; maybe serve as a reminder to me that I am not crazy."

Minutes Later

Ino stared, unmoving, at the person who was walking towards her. She had been calling for him in her heart. She wanted to see him so dearly. She had missed his embrace, his firm, yet warm hands. She had missed everything about him. She wanted to run towards him, jump on him and hug him until the feelings she felt inside of her died. She was even suppressing the smile she had on her lips. It threatened to break out though. But she chained it inside, twisting her lips upside down and blocking any happiness from showing in her face. She folded her hands across her bust, and continued to stare.

"So, you finally decided that I am now worth seeing," Ino said, her tone stern, eyes trying hard not to blink.

Naruto just smiled. The night he came here, he hadn't seen her. He could have. He should have. He had even spoken to Kakashi. But he had not seen her. He had avoided her at all costs. That aside, it was not like he could act as he would in private, not when there were other people around. Their relationship had been secret. It still was. Well, there was nothing happening now because he had taken a pause.

"Don't be like that, Ino. You know the situation was bad that night and I was busy looking for someone or something," Naruto explained in a light tone. She was standing by the door of her house, leaning against the door frame. "No one home, right?"

"No," she shook her head. "You say that but you still had time to move around and those were just clones. You could have just said hello."

"Now, now, I am here, aren't I?" Naruto said, holding out both his hands. He was inviting her for a hug, but she did not budge. He was certain even if tried to kiss her, she wouldn't move. What a troublesome situation.

"Then?" Ino asked with a raised eye brow.

"I came to see you, dear."

"I am dear now," Ino responded in a flat tone. "I was not when you decided to leave me and run wild even when I had said that I would willing to walk with you."

She had said that. Love was something else, wasn't it? Naruto shook his head. "How long are you to keep this up?" He did know her well enough to read her moods. She was playing tough now and he had decided to indulge her but it did have to end, didn't it?

"Until I am satisfied," Ino said.

Naruto sighed and placed his right hand on her shoulder. Just like that, they were gone in the blink of an eye.

Ino felt a cold breeze washing over her. She looked around and saw that they were surrounded by vast amount of waters. It looked like they were right at the belly of the sea. The surface she stood on was steel, and the thing was not a ship. It was something else. She eyed Naruto who laid down on the flat surface, resting his head on his hands.

"This is where I hide," Naruto started in a calm tone. "This thing is a relic of the Sky nation. I had it improved to suit my needs. I keep it here to be away from the shinobi world. This is where I will also be spending most of my time for the foreseeable future."

"I don't like those words…" Ino said before sitting beside the Uzumaki. "Where does that leave us?"

Naruto smiled. "You are not going to leave that, are you? I could ask you to come live with me but I don't want to be the reason your parents lose their daughter. I grew up without parents, it would not be right for me to take you away from your family."

"A girl has to grow…"

"Even daddy's little girl?" Naruto asked with an amused look on his face.

Ino hit him on the side of his chest. "Forgive me for loving my father! But you know, I can't help it. I am their only child…" she said with a small smile. "My mother would be sad."

"I can imagine," Naruto said. "I will have to teach you a jutsu you'll use to come to me. I don't plan on going to Konoha again. I want to avoid shinobi as much as possible because I will be playing dead."

Ino stared at him with a questioning look. "Why? And I am not going to spend my time in this place. I want to go on dates, watch a movie, visit the hot springs."

"It will only be for two or three years. And if things go right, you get to show me off to your friends and introduce me to your parents as your boyfriend."

Ino rested her head on Naruto's upper body and place her hands on his chest. She tried listening for his heartbeat. Naruto had his left hand wrap around her before putting on a smile on his lips. "I really do think I love you," he said.

"You only say that now?" Ino asked. "But I don't hate hearing those words. I am happy you do because I do too…"

There was silence that lasted for a couple of minutes before Naruto broke it. "It seems appropriate. And if you want to go on dates, we will go. But nobody has to know it is me. You asked why I had to play dead; well it is because I am a dreamer. I have always been a dreamer. When we were still children, I used to dream of being Hokage. My dreams are always high up…"

"I may have mocked you then and called you an idiot but had you stayed, you could have become Hokage." Ino said confidently. "What is your dream, now, Naruto? You said something about peace."

"Yes, peace with costs. Perhaps what I really desire is chaos and destruction," Naruto said with a sad smile. "I might end up bringing that to this world."

"Is that why you wanted me to stay away from you?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "I have lost a bit of my kindness and my heart has become slightly cold. If I set forth for destruction, it will occur. Many people will die. I will be doing it for peace but the world will not know that. I will be just a mad man. Of course there is a chance that things don't go to that path. If wars don't happen, I will be happy."

"And if they happen?"

"Disappointed but what I do will depend on certain factors. I want peace, but I am not naïve enough to think that people cannot have conflicts. People are not the same and because we fundamentally differ means that ideas will clash. But that should not always result in war. Arguments can come, but the spilling of blood must not be a normal thing. I want a world that does not think the only way to solve problems is through war. I don't want a world where people only think about their villages and give a helping hand to others without expecting something in return."

"Let us hope your dream comes to life. I don't want to be separated from you."

* * *

Emperor's Palace

The experiment of this place certainly worked. When there are rules that need to be followed, shinobi will follow them, as long as there are consequences for discarding those rules. To teach men the moral conscious seemed something like one would need to do through genjutsu. Normal means could not work. Men did not appear to do right because of moral conscious but because of fear of consequences that follows when you don't do what is right. If Naruto had not come to learn this, he would have driven a more naïve agenda that would have resulted in epic failure. The methods now accounted for the kind of world they were living in.

In due time, the shinobi world would need rules that would have consequences should one break them. People could do wrong and get away with it. Iwa could try to invade another nation and get away with it because other nations would not care too much to get involved in anything that would not benefit them. Others with a conscious would just be too afraid to do anything because they do not have the power – they know if they say something, they will get destroyed.

Naruto was at least content that things were working well now.

"And yet you don't seem overly happy," Kurama said as Naruto walked through the passages of the Emperor's Palace.

The blond stopped by a metal door and knocked. Someone peeked through a small hole in the door and then opened to let him in. He greeted the man quietly before looking at the men and women sitting on stools by the counter, some sitting on comfortable sofas while drinking. The VIP club. Whatever was said in here stayed in here. Husbands could cheat on their wives with neighbors. And nobody would know. The palace employed people to ensure that secrets were kept. There were even seals put on people to ensure they could not say things that were not supposed to say.

As he walked in the sides, heading towards another setting, Naruto responded to Kurama. "Perhaps I am a little disappointed that I do not get to go loose. I think a mad part of me is hoping that this plan fails."

"I thought you were completely sold on the idea of happiness sold to you by that woman," the Bijuu said.

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe a little. Her words to me made me alter so much of my plans. Regardless, this is the right thing to do. Whether I am fully happy with it should not matter. I must not be selfish."

"I thought you've always been a little selfish," Kurama said.

"Well, I am forcing my ideals on people," Naruto said. "Let us just see how things end up with the structure that I have developed. It is truly filling me with lust now that I have the shinobi world in my grasp."

"Just don't go mad with power."

"I am going away because of it. I already have much physical strength. Political and economical strength will add to it and changing this world will become very possible…"

He entered a round chamber with a small bar on the right side from the entrance. There were single sofas set around a small round table. There were six of them, and two people occupied two sofas. It was the Earth and Fire Lords.

Naruto greeted them with respect before settling down. "I hope you have not been waiting too long for me," he said.

"We have just been talking amongst ourselves about the future," the Fire Lord said calmly. "I must not stay too long. The people at the palace will start asking too many questions that I would rather not indulge."

"People are curious by nature," Naruto said with a slight wave of his right hand. "But please let us talk business. I also have somewhere I must visit before the day ends."

"We have been talking about this and it came to our attention that you've had the small nations build their own trains and then sell them to you," The Earth Lord started in a calm tone. "What of the trains that will be running through our countries?"

Feudal Lords were truly greedy. It was all about power and control with them. But it was because they were like that it was much easy to negotiate with them. "That agreement was because I wanted them to gain something with the trains. I had to show them that they could benefit by doing things my way. You already know of the benefits, do you still need more?"

"We just want a share," they both said.

"I'm afraid I cannot offer you the same deal as I did with the small nations. I have already agreed to pay you 25% in taxes every month for the profits we make on train fares. This technology comes from the Springs; they want their share. The company must also make its own share. However, I am willing to allow you to each make 25% of the trains we will be making in your respective countries. That sounds fair, no?"

"Fair enough," the Fire Lord said. "Have you spoken to Konoha?"

"Yes," Naruto said. "We are in agreement. Things should work well." He turned toward the Earth Daimyo. "On your side?"

"As agreed, I made the pressure and Onoki has agreed to step away from his position as Tsuchikage," the man said.

Naruto smiled upon hearing that. "Then all systems should be ready to go. Guren will be meeting with you to sign further agreements as head of the company. I have spoken to the Lords of the smaller nations, and they want a non-aggression pact with all Great Nations. Their concern is that when Great Nations fight, it is their countries that become battle grounds. Agreements have always been torn apart, so they also want me to act as a guardian to this agreement. If any nation breaks it, I must deliver the agreed consequence upon the aggressor."

"Do we get the same deal?"

"Of course, I am that fair of a person. I am not allied to any nation, so I am expected to act impartial and if you can prove I am acting otherwise, you are not obligated to follow any agreement I have made with you. I have been thinking that we make a court of Feudal Lords that will be the 'judge' of the agreements we have and will sign. If someone breaks something, all the Lords will sit and discuss about it before making a decision."

"What are the others saying?"

"I have yet to speak with them but I have made arrangements to do so. But as I have said, the Lords of the small nations would like for this to happen," Naruto said.

"We will gather the others and speak to them about it before making a decision. I do not want anyone interfering in how I run my country."

"The intention is never that," Naruto said firmly. "This structure only applies to our shared interests and to the hope of a more civilized and diplomatic method of handling our conflicts."

* * *

"It is weird seeing you there while also talking to you inside of me," Naruto said to the Kyubi. He was standing in the middle of all Nine Bijuus, eyes firmly on the one with nine tails.

He was standing before all of them for the last time, he hoped. He had given them their freedom even though some of them did not want it, he had forced for the better working of his desired world. Things could work out for the best and no child would ever be made a Jinchuriki. If he could achieve this, then Naruto would be satisfied with his life. Yet, despite it all, he would be the only Jinchuriki to live until he decides to end his silent life of being an observer. His clone would still be around though. It would exist for all eternity until it came across an opponent who could destroy it.

Perhaps he could introduce the Feudal Lords to his clone, mask it and tell them that it was his subordinate. It had taken time to finally make it and saying clone was a little misleading. They shared a DNA but were not similar in thoughts. He had put in the chakra of different Bijuus, his and natural energy into the clone to avoid the chakra signature being similar to his. For now, the clone would act as a guardian to the company and to Guren.

"Get used to it," Kurama said.

Naruto just shook his head and looked around to all the other Bijuus. "I know some of you are not happy with me or how I have handled things. But it is my desire that there be no more Jinchurikis and that you are not used as weapons. Perhaps at some age, people will try to hunt you. I am not naïve to think that it is only Hidden Villages who will be after your power. But there are evil people out there who also desire to have your power and will no doubt try to have you. But I will stop them. I will not let anyone have you.

"I have some of your chakra, all of you, so I maintain a connection with all of you. I am now going to send you into different locations, away from humans. Hopefully, you will enjoy your freedom and live in your own peace."

"I will be happy, as long as I am in the desert but if any human comes after me for my power, I will kill them," Shukaku said.

"You can do as you like. I have not freed you to control you. But of course, any unprovoked attack will be resisted," Naruto said that in a hardened tone.

He then created a eight clones and they each jumped on one to eight. Only Kurama remained. Afterwards, the Bijuus disappeared. "That ends this chapter," the blond said to the other half. "Do you think the Sage would approve?"

"I don't know but this is better than sealing all Bijuus in Chibaku Tensei and sending them to orbit the moon, is it not?"

Naruto smiled. "That was just a thought of a more sinister plot on my part," the blond said. "Are you satisfied with your location?"

"Yes," Kurama said.

Naruto nodded and turned away from the Bijuu. He did not say anything but just started walking away. He walked for a long distance before finally reaching the land of Uzushiogakure, his beloved, yet ruined ancestral home. This was a place he could have lived. Or maybe not. But had the village not been destroyed, he would have been sent back home to his grandparents, to avoid the hatred in Konoha and then maybe he would have grown up being loved.

 **Iwagakure**

Kurotsuchi threw herself to her bed after another long and tiring day. With her grandfather transferring power to her, she has been forced to carry out some duties she normally would not. She had yet to become Yondaime Tsuchikage but it was no longer a matter of if but when it would officially be made. There were still things to do but the work was too much. There was too much to handle. And her grandfather had held onto the position for many years. She could not imagine it. It would be too much for her. Or perhaps things would change in due time.

He was still not pleased that he was being forced to resign though. He still wandered into the office and she had to send him away. He should be resting, having led this village through wars and difficult times.

Kurotsuchi looked to her window when she sensed a chakra signature. She frowned when she saw the person. Considering what happened last time he was here, she was not going to invite him to come in. She stared at her bed for a long minute while ignoring Naruto's presence. After a couple of moments, she got up and stared at the window once more – he was still there, waiting patiently for her. She sighed and walked towards him. She got out through window without saying anything and jumped over to the roof.

She had felt like a little girl as she got out through the window. It was like when your parents didn't want you to go out and you were forced to sneak out because you really wanted to go out and have fun with friends.

The outside was a little dark. It was night. She glanced at Naruto as he sat beside her, looking up. "You must be happy that you got your wish…." She said.

"It is good to see you too, Kurotsuchi," Naruto said with a smile on his lips. "You have been unwell, apparently. But I have no reasons to complain about my life. All seems to be going well."

Kurotsuchi glared at him before releasing a long breath when he only smiled in response to her glare. "I have had too much to do with my new responsibilities. I guess I can thank you for this," he said.

"Fresh leaders are stepping into the picture, I wonder what kind of world you will lead… Your predecessors went to war. I wonder if you will one day march out for war or if you will one day lead forces to an invasion," Naruto said without responding to Kuro.

"Are you purposefully ignoring everything I say?"

"Maybe," Naruto said with a small smile. "It is to be expected that you would have much to do. You have yet to settle in your new position but once you settle, you will be fine. You don't need to thank me, I have not done anything. But you must agree with me that change was needed, right?"

Kurotsuchi would deny that. Her grandfather had ruled for far too long. Of course, some of the thinking she had been doing had come because of Naruto. He had been slowly poisoning her against the old man. She would have never questioned his decisions. He always did what was best for this village – she knew that better than her father. But Naruto had come in, pointing at the flaws in her grandfather's thinking. Well, it was no matter now, she was going to lead this village now and to the best of her ability.

"Maybe, and this is a dream come true for me," Kuro said with a small smile. "I still don't like that he was forced out though."

Naruto shrugged. "It was for the best. Accept it and lead this village into prosperity without crushing another," he said in a firm tone.

"Because you are going to be there to stop things from happening, aren't you?" Kuro said. She had a feeling he would. He had already said he would be protecting his allies, the small countries.

"Of course," Naruto said. "But I will not be appearing in the scenes as much as I have been over the next couple of months. I will disappear to the background and maybe completely to give people a breathing chance."

"Why would you want to disappear?"

"Because people still fear my power. It is possible that some people won't be calm as long as I maintain the front page. If I can disappear for a little while, even when I mysteriously appear from somewhere, it won't be problem. Some people would have cooled down on their fears of me," Naruto explained lightly before smiling. "What? You don't want me to disappear? You gonna miss me?"

Kurotsuchi scoffed. "Don't fool yourself," she said in a flat tone. "Though things won't be the same without your frustrating appearances."

"I can still secretly see you…"

"I don't want that," Kuro said quickly. "I love my village and will do everything to protect it. Though I figure, villages won't be making the same moves they used to do in the past without getting past you. But I wonder how you plan on doing that if you are planning on disappearing."

"I have something in mind," Naruto said. "But a certain part of me was planning on just letting things be. Admittedly, that is a part of me that wishes for things to fail. That aside, I want to believe that people will behave. If they don't, that is when I will be forced to step into action."

Kurotsuchi stared at him through the corner of her eyes as she spoke. "It's hard to believe that I once saw you as the enemy that must be destroyed. Here I am with you. But I must still wonder if you really have good intentions."

"Good intentions can even lead to bad actions," Naruto said those words in a hardened tone. "But just watch. So far I have not betrayed anything I have said to you, have I?"

"It could be that you want me to lower my guard," Kurotsuchi said.

"There is that chance," Naruto seemed to agree with Kuro's thoughts. If he were to turn evil and seek destruction, would things change? People like Shikamaru would probably know, Mei and Ino would stick with him, but what about this one? Kurotsuchi would be disappointed. If she learns to trust him and he turns on her, would she ever trust anyone? He would have deceived her, not only her but the Raikage as well. If those two were filled with anger, even in his death, they would turn on those who supported him. He had to be careful from now on.

He could not ignore things as he said to Shikamaru. Besides, if he does ignore things, he would be breaking his promises to the people who trusted him to protect them. He had to make this work or fail trying, and then he could wear the other mask. He was still not going to take the lead in the Uzumaki Company.

"But my commitment is never to betray your trust unless I go crazy. I was honest with you, and I shall continue to do so."

"If that is the case, admit that you it was you who had the Daimyo pressure my grandfather into retiring," Kurotsuchi said.

"I have a business arrangement with the Feudal Lord. I did not force him. I expressed my concerns and we were in agreement that to enter the new world we are heading into, a change was needed. But you also agree with that. You may not want to admit it, but that is the truth," Naruto said.

Kurotsuchi refused to respond to this. But asked one more question. "What is your goal with the Uzumaki Company?"

"I just want to create a barrier that will stop people from acting irrationally. When there are no severe consequences for an action, people will do anything. The case to point being how your grandfather did things. He had no problem invading another nation because he knew no one would do anything and Iwa would not suffer for it. But that was wrong. Borders have to be respected and we will try to bring the respect to these borders that have been trampled upon. You might have the military force to launch an invasion but if there is a barrier that stops you from moving your forces, you have no other choice but to seek alternative means to handle things."

"That is some ambition, but how are you going to stop an army?"

"Do you forget who you are talking to?" Naruto asked with a small smile on his lips. He was not a normal person and he was an army on his own.

Kurotsuchi frowned, "That is just going to make things difficult," she said. "Well, as long as you don't get in the way of things, I won't complain."

"Just so long as you don't violate other country's border, I won't complain either," Naruto said. "It is my desire that you work well with other Kages. Your grandfather was not able to do this in his time as Tsuchikage, but hopefully, the new generation will be able to foster good relations."

"You are really bent on having good relationships, aren't you? But you do know that not everyone will get along."

"Naturally, that is part of being alive. But just because we don't agree on certain things doesn't mean we must kill each other," Naruto said before getting up. "I just came to check up on you. It is not my intention to keep making appearances before leaders…" he said with a small smile. "But hopefully when we meet again, you will not have returned to where you were before we started our discussions."

"And if I have?"

"We will see how I re-educate you. If I can't, there are other methods to make things okay."

"Did you just threaten me?" Kurotsuchi asked in a stern tone, narrowed eyes. "Because if you are, there will be consequences for that. I do not take threats very lightly."

"Who knows?" Naruto said, smiling. "But if you plan on flaring your chakra just to alert people, I will tell everyone your little secret."

"What secret?"

"That you are having an affair with me."

"I'm not! You just forced yourself onto me that day. I should have killed you then!"

Naruto just laughed. "You seemed to like it though." When Kuro glared at him, just waved his right hand. "I will see you and I wish you success."

* * *

Kirigakure

"We have come a long way, have we not, Kurama?" Naruto said as he walked through the streets of the Hidden Mist, heading towards Mei's house. He could safely walk, it was night. The people already knew him, he was not sneaking around as he would in the Hidden Stone.

"We have," Kurama admitted. "I came from wanting to kill you to choosing to assist you in your goal. I had my reasons at first, but I along the way, things changed."

"Well, it has been a number of years since we left Konoha. I grew from being a teenage child into an adult." Naruto responded calmly. "Things have worked better than expected. Yet, though we want peace, it does appear that we must be willing to use other measures to make things fall in line. You truly cannot expect all people to fall in line."

"We have always been prepared to do it all," Kurama said. "But now you can finally sit and relax. Perhaps even enjoy your miserable life. You were willing to die in misery anyway."

Naruto smiled. Yes, before then, he had been willing to walk a dangerous path, to do things that would not give him the peace of mind. He has killed people without even flinching. He had been preparing himself for genocide. But perhaps meeting Mei changed things. He had ran from the things he was connected to and just went straight into the embrace of another. It was no bad, nevertheless. Naruto had no regrets. He didn't regret meeting Mei. She had given him a chance of happiness, a chance to finally enjoy a life that has always been filled with pain and misery.

"If we fail in this way, will I survive cutting off my connections with these people? Will they even survive?" Naruto asked quietly. "I know they'll want to stick with me, but can I bring myself to invite the hatred that I could experience in their lives? I have been miserable; I don't want these people to suffer."

"If you didn't want them to suffer, you should have waited for the plan to succeed. Besides, isn't it ironic coming from you?"

Naruto laughed. "Well I was promised happiness, and I ran towards it. You know my heart has always been looking for an opportunity to take a different method that would save my sanity. This has saved things from becoming dangerous.

"Ironic? Yes. I am a hypocrite for saying such things when I plan to make others suffer by killing their loved ones. I guess I am at a fundamental level the same with everyone else. I will not turn a blind eye to those close to me but when others are suffering the same pain, I pretend not to care. Isn't this what I taught Guren not to do and then continuously preached to Kurotsuchi until she finally stood?"

"As long as nobody knows…"

"Yes, it would have been treacherous had we been exposed. I truly hope that it does not happen," Naruto said in thought.

He stopped his conversation with the Kyubi once entering Mei's house. He went straight to the living room and found the Godaime Mizukage in a blue night gown, lying on a couch with a book over her chest. He smiled, she appeared asleep. It must have been a long day for her as well. Everyone was busy at work these days. He rounded her, and stopped by the side of her head, he just stared at her until she opened her eyes.

"And I was waiting for you to wake me up with a kiss," Mei said with a disappointed look on her face.

"If I had known, I would have tried harder to sneak up on you," Naruto said before snatching the book on the Mizukage's chest. He went over to sit on the other side, across her. "Romance?"

"I love romance… you know I did say that I imagine getting married one day," Mei said as she sat up straight on the couch.

Marriage? Had he ever thought of it when he was younger? No, his miserable self had been too worried about trying to make friends to even think about that. He could not even get himself someone to love his sorry Jinchuriki behind. And he had loved Sakura. That girl who had hopelessly loved Sasuke, and quite possibly still did. Naruto was glad that he had stopped caring. It has been over 8 years anyway.

"That is something else… I never imagined what it would be like… but when the time is right, we can get married," Naruto said with a smile on his lips.

Mei did not hide her excitement. But she then stopped and frowned. "What will your girlfriend say about it?" She asked with narrowed eyes. He had admitted that he had a girl back in Konoha. She had yet to meet the girl. And she really wanted to see her.

"I have not spoken to her about it but I imagine she will be quite displeased…" Naruto said in thought. Knowing Ino, she was going to tell him that if he was going to marry, she would be first because their relationship came first.

Mei sighed tiredly. "Let us not go there. It will ruin the day," she said. "How did things go on your part?"

"All things are set. I have spoken to the Feudal Lords about a change in things and the agreements. They still need to discuss things amongst themselves but I expect everything to be in order soon enough. Kurotsuchi is taking over Iwagakure and Tsunade is planning to hang her gloves. I don't know when the Raikage will give up on power but it doesn't matter at this point. I have also given Guren the go ahead to begin everything. I have just about wrapped everything else."

Mei smiled. "Can we plan about the future without holding back? No one is going to be chasing after you. And please don't tell me that you want to wait and see if this will hold because it will hold, as long as you enforce the agreements and stay impartial while giving the Daimyos their desired 'control' over things. If you keep thinking things will fail, when a little thing goes wrong, you'll be quick to point out that you were waiting for it. And you might even turn a blind eye just to be proved right. Just have a little bit of faith in people, will you?"

 **End**

 **For now, I will mark this as complete, but I have left an opening for either a chaotic part or something peaceful. If it is peaceful, I will not add anything because that isn't the point of this story.**

 **The Omnipresent Sage**


End file.
